Nightmare
by Julie Horwitz
Summary: Story one of the "Hell on Doom" duology. Allura's worst nightmare comes true. Her experience changes her life forever. In-progress.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **

The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" and "Voltron Force" are copyrighted to World Event Productions. Everything else is of my own creation.

**Author's Notes: **

This story is an AU from all of my other Voltron stories. It still takes place in the "Voltron Force" universe, but it occurs earlier in the timeline, during the period of the original series. The events of the story fall some time between the episodes "Summit Meeting" and "Return of Coran's Son." Everything up until that point is still canon except for any small changes reflected in the "Voltron Force" series, such as the mice being cybernetic and the character redesigns.  
I primarily use the information provided by the cartoons for character history. Anything not recognizable has been invented for the purposes of the story. Later parts of the story will borrow some information from the "Voltron: Year One" comic mini-series, written by Brandon Thomas and Craig Cermak.  
This is a very dark story. It is part one of a duology called "Hell on Doom." It is for mature readers only. It contains scenes of violence, death, and strong sexual content. I highly recommend that it is not read by younger readers or anyone who is uncomfortable with unpleasant material. There will eventually be a happy ending, but not until the second story.  
The idea for this story came as a joke while I was watching the movie "Mamma Mia!". I wasn't going to write it at first, but it was suggested that I should. Although the original idea was humorous, the story itself is not.  
Just to let everyone know, this is ultimately a Keith/Allura story. I know some readers do not like the pairing and I wanted to give a fair warning.  
All questions and comments may be sent to me at my e-mail address. Please see my author profile for details.  
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story.

_**Nightmare **_  
by  
Julie Horwitz

"Incompetent nitwit!" King Zarkon roared upon receiving the news of his son's latest defeat by Voltron. "Unworthy spawn!"

Haggar calmly listened to this latest temper tantrum from her position near the throne as she mindlessly stroked the purring Coba, who was sitting on her lap as always. She knew it would not be long before Zarkon turned his rage onto her. (As if it were _her_ fault that Voltron had destroyed her latest Robeast. She merely gave them life. She did not control them.) And once more she'd play the part of the chastised servant.

It was getting tiresome.

When she had offered Zarkon her magical services all those years ago, she had greatly underestimated his strength and intelligence. He had far surpassed any of her expectations. She had never dreamed that he'd prove to be such an excellent conqueror and leader. She had soon realized that it would be impossible to exert any influence over him. The only way she'd ever achieve the power she had hoped for was to wait for a suitable puppet to come along that she could manipulate into overthrowing Zarkon for her.

And she had found the perfect puppet in Prince Lotor.

Zarkon's son lacked every quality that made his father the strong ruler that he was. The only trait he had inherited was Zarkon's temper. Lotor was self-indulgent and entitled, believing himself to be owed greatness by the universe for doing nothing more than existing. He was impatient and easily flew into rages when things were not going his way as he expected them to naturally do. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it now. He cared for no one but himself and was highly ambitious. In other words, the ideal figurehead to be put on the throne.

And the key to securing Lotor's eternal loyalty was to give him the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the universe: the princess of Arus.

Haggar couldn't see what Lotor found so irresistible about Allura. She was little different from the other women who populated his harem, blonde and fair skinned. And it wasn't as if he had never added a princess to his female collection before. There had been many. But if possessing this particular girl would make him more pliable to her will, then by all the dark gods above, he would have her.

And Haggar would be the one to personally make sure that he got her.

She had tried to help him several times before, but his impatience and arrogance always ruined everything. Lotor failed to understand the importance of following a plan through to conclusion _before_ declaring victory. His need to constantly taunt his enemies gave them the opportunities they needed to defeat him. It was another of his many shortcomings. It was her hope that once he had Allura in his possession that she'd be able to focus his attention on more important matters, such as removing his father from the throne.

"This is all your fault, old witch!" Zarkon bellowed, cutting into her reverie. "This Robeast was a failure like all your others! I was foolish to believe your claim that this one was different!"

"Please, Sire!" she cried in as realistic a begging tone as she could manage. "My Robeast performed perfectly! It was just bad luck that Voltron was able to defeat it."

She had found that that it was in her best interests to always allow Zarkon to believe that he was chastising her. The more power he believed he had over her, the less he would suspect her true intentions of wanting him overthrown.

"Bad luck? Bad luck? All you ever have is bad luck, old witch! You're as pathetic as my son!" Zarkon ranted on. "I should replace the both of you!"

Haggar knocked Coba from her lap (she would make it up to him later) and fell to her knees in what Zarkon would believe to be a pose of submission.

Although she knew his threat of replacing her was empty (he needed her more than she needed him although he would never admit it), Zarkon had come very close on multiple occasions of ridding himself of Lotor. And that was not something Haggar would allow to happen.

Not unless she could find a more useful weapon against Zarkon.

"No, Sire! You can't replace your son! There is no one more loyal to you!"

She chose her words and emotional display with care. She had led Zarkon to believe that she had a special fondness for Lotor. It would be out of character for her not to be upset over his possible permanent removal from Doom.

"Bah!" Zarkon snorted. "The only one my worthless son is loyal to is himself. He cares for nothing other than pursuing that pathetic princess. He's a disgrace to the empire."

Haggar decided that it was the right time to present the scheme she had come up with for abducting the princess from Arus. She had planned it some time ago and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell it to Zarkon. The predicted results alone would be enough to ensure Zarkon's support.

"His quest to marry the princess has merely caused him to lose his focus, Your Majesty," Haggar informed him, all earlier emotion gone from her voice. She resumed stroking Coba, who had returned to her side. She raised her eyes to meet his, but did not get up from the floor. She did not want to seem too eager. "As soon as he has her, he will return to the way he was before."

Zarkon gave her a look. "An interesting theory, but one I sincerely doubt will ever be tested. You know as well as I do that my pathetic son will never have Allura of Arus. She is simply out of his reach and always will be. But he'll just continue to waste his time obsessing over that lost cause. Look at how many times he's already tried and failed to take her. You've even assisted him a few times, Haggar, and he still couldn't succeed. He's become an embarrassment to my throne."

"I can get her for him, Sire," Haggar simply let him know.

Zarkon openly laughed. "You? You couldn't even eliminate her when you were in the same room with her! What makes you think you could capture her?"

Haggar ignored the insult. Zarkon was referring to her infiltration of the princess' castle more than a year ago. She had been disguised as Allura's aunt Orla. The trusting princess had accepted her as her aunt without question. Her failure, as humiliating as it was to admit, was a result of her inability to disguise her revulsion at the princess's "friends," a group of cybernetic rodents. If she hadn't made such a scene when the vermin first tried to greet her, they probably would not have kept such a close eye on her afterwards. It was her own fault that they had been there to observe her first attempt on Allura's life. They had of course interrupted and foiled the strike and then they had run off to somehow warn the Voltron Force that something was amiss. It was a hard-learned lesson, but she would be more mindful of her behavior the next time she tried impersonating someone.

"Because, unlike Lotor, I will exploit her greatest weakness," she explained. "Princess Allura possesses the single most trusting nature I have ever encountered. She believes that everyone she meets is inherently good. She will never question anyone's actions unless she is given a good reason, such as all of us here on Doom. I will use this weakness to isolate her from her protectors. Once I have her alone, it will be easy to remove her from Arus with no one being the wiser."

Haggar knew she had won Zarkon's support by the expression on his face. He was clearly intrigued.

"And you're absolutely certain this scheme will work, old witch?"

She smiled. "Allow me to return to Arus immediately. Once my plan is set into motion, Allura will be in Lotor's possession in mere days."

"Then go. And don't bother coming back unless it is with the princess."

"It will be done."

And then Haggar let out a gleeful cackle.

Zarkon had just unknowingly signed his own death warrant.

Control of the Drule Empire would soon be hers.

((()))

Keith Kogane, commander of the Voltron Force, had a very bad feeling about the man who was speaking with Allura and Coran.

The four of them were sitting in one of the Castle of Lions' many conference rooms. The stranger, who called himself Stayden, had arrived at the castle by wagon nearly a half hour ago. (Keith had taken an instant dislike to the man. He couldn't say why, as he did not appear to be a threat, but there was just _something_ about him that did not sit right with him. He had learned many years ago to trust his feelings. They were rarely wrong...) Stayden claimed he had come as the representative for the farming community of Jancia. (A quick check of the castle database had verified Jancia's existence. It was a small settlement about five hours away from the castle in a very isolated area. About that much, at least, he was being truthful.) His purpose was to invite the princess to a festival being held in her honor.

The princess and no one else.

As soon as Stayden had said that, warning bells had gone off at the back of Keith's mind. Arusian society was very old-fashioned and traditional. Young unmarried women, royal or not, did not travel anywhere without a protective escort of some kind. What was the point of asking Allura to come without one? (The Jancian council could not be ignorant enough to believe that anyone here in the castle would entrust Allura's safety to a complete stranger.) Yet Stayden had made it very clear that his council expected her to travel with him unaccompanied, which made no sense. She was the most important living being on the entire planet. Why insist that she go out into the open unprotected? Something was clearly very wrong with this entire situation.

In his opinion, it would be a mistake for her to go at all.

But knowing Allura as well as he did (the princess would do almost anything to keep her people happy), she was going to insist on attending this festival, which was going to last three days according to Stayden. But there was no way in hell that he was going to let her go alone. He was going to make sure that at least one member of the Voltron Force went with her. (If it weren't for the mandatory Galaxy Garrison conference he had to attend the next day, he would insist on being the one to accompany her himself. But he knew there wasn't any way out of it. Not if he wanted to keep his command...) There were no others he'd trust with her life. Lance, Hunk, or Pidge would all do everything in their power to keep her safe.

The same way that he himself would...

"You've done so much for your people over the years, Your Highness," Stayden was saying. "It was the unanimous decision of our council that it was about time some of your people expressed their gratitude to you. We felt that a festival was the best way we could do that."

"Your council is too generous, Stayden," Allura told him, proving that once again she had instantly accepted and trusted a total stranger without a second thought. (She was too innocent and naïve for her own good. She never distrusted someone unless she knew they came from Doom. She believed in the innate goodness of everyone she met.) "But I don't do any of the things I do for a reward. I do them because I want nothing more than for my people to be safe and happy. Everything I do is out of love for all of you. What is a ruler without her people? There is no need to reward me for simply doing what is right."

Despite his uneasiness at the situation, Allura's words made Keith want to smile. She was so good, so generous. Everything she did exuded pure love. She truly was the best humanity had to offer. He'd never known anyone as wonderful in his entire life.

And for all those reasons and more, he had fallen deeply in love with her...

"Please say you'll come," Stayden urged. "Everyone will be so disappointed if you don't."

"Of course I'll come," Allura let him know, giving him one of her beautiful bright smiles. (The princess hated disappointing anyone, even complete strangers.) "I'd be honored to attend your festival, Stayden. I know it will be wonderful."

Stayden instantly lit up and Keith found himself questioning his doubts about the man. His emotions seemed so genuine. There didn't appear to be anything forced about them. Then again, a highly-trained agent would have to be an excellent actor to pull off an assignment that took him so deep into enemy territory. Keith knew better than to let down his guard until he knew one way or the other what Stayden's true intentions were.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you!" Stayden happily cried, again making it difficult to think of him as a threat. "We are the ones who are truly honored. Your presence will be the highlight of the entire festival."

"Forgive the interruption, but there's something I don't understand," Keith interjected, unwilling to allow the conversation to go any further without addressing the all-important issue of Allura's safety. If she was going to go, this needed to be dealt with immediately. "Why is Her Highness not being allowed to bring any escorts to your festival? Does your council not realize the danger the princess is in every time she leaves the safety of her castle?"

"Keith!" Allura exclaimed, sounding mortified by his question. "How can you even ask that? These are Arusians we are talking about. My people would never put me in any danger. They aren't like that and you know it. I'm insulted you'd even think such a thing."

Before Keith could open his mouth to clarify what he had meant (he hated the fact that he had upset her, but she needed to understand that Doom was not the only source of danger in the universe), Coran jumped in to defuse the situation.

"Princess, the commander did not mean to imply that the Jancians mean you any harm," Coran told her, unaware that that was _exactly_ what Keith had been thinking. "He is simply voicing his very valid concern for your safety. A concern we all share. You know how important you are to all of Arus. If anything were to happen to you..."

An expression of regret immediately crossed her features.

"I'm sorry, Keith," she softly apologized. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that before hearing you out. I know that you're only thinking of my safety."

"It's all right, Princess," he assured her and gave her a smile, which she weakly returned.

If they had been alone, he would have gently touched her hand as well...

He knew Allura had feelings for him, though he was unsure of how deep they actually were. He had no idea if it was just a crush, as he suspected, or if she had gone as far as to fall in love with him the way he had with her. But he had no intention of ever finding out. Her destiny to be queen made it impossible for them to ever be together. The last thing he would ever want to do would be to break her heart, which was exactly what would happen if they were a couple when the time came for her to marry a prince. He would have no choice but to end the relationship, which he knew would destroy her. It was better for both of them to remain as nothing more than friends and teammates.

He returned his attention to Stayden. "My question still stands. Why is Princess Allura not being allowed to bring an escort?"

"In all honesty, I was not given a reason by the council," he told him, his voice and demeanor not telling Keith anything new. (Either he was a superb actor, as a deep cover agent would have to be, or he really was telling the truth, something that Keith's persistent bad feeling made hard to believe.) "I was simply given my instructions and told to bring only Her Highness to the festival. I suppose I thought nothing of it because we are a very small and peaceful community. We do not possess any weapons of any kind and there has never been a recorded incident of violence in the history of our existence. Our traditions have remained unchanged for centuries. The most danger Her Majesty would most likely face is possible dizziness from the constant dancing.

"But if you feel it necessary for Her Highness to have an escort, then I will not object and I know the council will not either," Stayden ultimately consented. "We all want what's best for our princess. She is, as Minister Coran said, important to all of Arus."

Keith was surprised at how easily Stayden had given in on the issue. Perhaps he wasn't the source of his bad feeling after all...

"If I may say something?" Coran politely spoke up. "Commander, you know that normally I would defer to your assessment, but I honestly feel that a security escort is unnecessary in this situation. I am hard-pressed to see the threat to Her Highness' safety."

Keith could not believe what he was hearing. Coran didn't see the possible danger to Allura's safety? Was he as blind as the princess to the possibility of some Arusians being the enemy? (Which would explain her unwavering belief in her people's loyalty. It made sense that she would have learned it from someone else, particularly the man who had raised her.)

He found himself suddenly wishing that Nanny were there instead of on her week-long trip with Larmina. (Nanny had decided it was time for the young royal spend some time among the people instead of remaining isolated in the castle. They, of course, were traveling with a full escort.) _She_ would scream bloody murder at the mere suggestion that her "baby" go anywhere alone and unescorted. The possibility would have died then and there.

Coran typed something into his tablet before laying it down and sliding it towards the center of the table. Seconds later, a holographic map was projected into the air, part of which Keith recognized from his earlier look at the computer's file on Jancia.

"This is a map of Jancia and the immediate surrounding area," Coran explained. "As you can see, the region is extremely isolated. I do not believe Doom would waste its resources placing spies in such an inconvenient location. Jancia has no strategic value nor is it anywhere near the castle. It's highly unlikely a visit by Her Highness to the area would be detected by Doom, especially if she is traveling without a large escort. I truly believe it would be best if she left here as she was originally asked, with no one but Stayden as her traveling companion."

Keith shook his head. "I'm sorry, Coran, but I am intensely uncomfortable with the idea of the princess traveling without someone who is trained in her protection." He looked at Stayden. "Please take no offense, but I don't know you and I don't know your capabilities as a fighter." He returned his focus to Coran. "Her Highness needs someone with her at all times who can keep her safe. I'm not suggesting she needs to take a full security unit. All I ask is that you allow me to send a member of my team with her. One person. That's all. Is that agreeable?"

Coran seemed to study him for a moment. "I suppose..."

"Keith, may I have a word with you outside for a moment?" Allura suddenly spoke up.

"Of course, Princess," he agreed, having a feeling he knew what she wanted to speak about but wondering why she wanted to say it in private.

She rose to her feet and all three men followed suit.

"Coran, Stayden," she acknowledged the others with a nod. "We will return shortly." She looked at Keith. "Come with me."

He followed her as she led him into the hall outside the conference room.

Once the door was shut, Allura turned to face him, her arms folded across her chest.

"Keith, why are you being so insistent that I have an escort?" she demanded to know. "You heard what both Coran and Stayden said. There is absolutely no danger to be found here. The Jancians don't even possess weapons. It's just a festival. What could possibly happen to me at a festival? I'll be perfectly safe. I promise."

Keith knew he had to choose his next words carefully. If he told her his true reasons for his insistence, a bad feeling, she would dismiss it as a case of his overprotectiveness and that would be the end of the discussion. He had to give her an explanation she could accept.

"I heard what they said," he began, "but you have to understand my point of view, Allura, and that is that I'm not willing to take any risks when it comes to your safety, obvious danger or not." He directly met her gaze. "I know you're tired of hearing this, but you _are_ the most important person living on Arus and that makes you a target. I know you don't believe this, but your enemies will not always come from Doom. Some will originate closer to home. Just because something seems safe, doesn't mean it really is. I refuse to put your life at risk based on the word of a stranger. I'm only thinking of what's best for you, Princess. You can be angry with me if you like, but I'm not backing down. You are not leaving without an escort."

As he waited for her reaction, he allowed himself a moment of pride in how calm and businesslike he had been able to make himself sound. He had not given Allura even the slightest reason to suspect that his drive to protect her was being motivated by anything but duty. His love for her had remained hidden, just as it should.

As it always would...

"I could never be angry with you for wanting to keep me safe," she quietly told him, "but I just don't agree that an escort is necessary. It's just a festival, Keith. There are no dangers at a festival. You've been to enough of them during your time here to know. Anyway, it's not like I'm completely helpless." She gave him one of her amazing smiles. "I have all the self-defense skills that you and the boys taught me. I can take care of myself."

Keith returned her smile while resisting the urge to point out that having all the self-defense skills in the world wouldn't do her any good if she wasn't aware of the impending danger until it was too late. Allura was too trusting of everyone around her. As he had witnessed far too many times, she never reacted to danger until it was already upon her. Her inability to see anything less than the good in those surrounding her had resulted in her being nearly captured or killed more times that Keith cared to think about.

"But I know you well enough to see that you're not going to budge on this issue," she continued. "So I have an idea that will turn this into a winning situation for both of us."

To his surprise, she took his hands into hers.

"Come with me, Keith. Be my escort."

The unexpected request stunned him. Allura knew about the GG conference and that his attendance was mandatory. For her to ask him to skip it and go with her on a trip that was going to last three days...

"Allura, I-"

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

Allura immediately released his hands as they both turned around to see Lance approaching them.

Keith immediately became concerned. How much of their conversation had Lance witnessed before making his presence known? Although he had never outright said anything, Keith knew Lance was highly suspicious of his feelings for Allura. While nothing improper had been said by either of them, their body language, especially after Allura had taken his hands and he hadn't pulled away, spoke of a more intimate relationship. It was more than enough to fuel Lance's fire.

He prayed to every god he could think of that Lance would not say anything about what he had just seen.

"I thought you two were still in the meeting with Coran and that farmer guy who showed up," Lance commented as he joined them.

To Keith's immense relief, he didn't say anything else. (For someone who was known for his big mouth, Lance could be surprisingly discreet when he wanted to be.)

"'That farmer,' as you call him, has a name and it is Stayden," Allura corrected him, "and, yes, we still are in the meeting with him. Keith and I just needed a moment alone to discuss the security arrangements for the journey I will be taking tomorrow. We were almost finished."

She turned her attention back to Keith. "Please? Will you come?"

Allura did nothing to hide the hope in her voice, which made the fact that he had to turn her down all the more painful. She _wanted_ him to go with her. It spoke volumes of how she felt about him, which was all the more reason why he couldn't go. (It was getting harder and harder every day to keep his personal feelings for her separate from his role as her team leader and protector.) To spend three days alone with her and have to maintain his distance...

He could _not_ risk it.

"I can't miss the conference," he finally told her, which was the truth. He really couldn't. He had been ordered to attend. "You know that. That's the only reason why I can't go with you." He glanced at Lance, who he was sure was taking mental notes and filing them away as evidence for a romance that could never be. "I'm sure Lance would be happy to accompany you in my place."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Lance immediately agreed even though he had no way of knowing exactly what he was agreeing to. (However much he'd overheard, he still wouldn't know all the details.) "Only a complete idiot would give up the opportunity to accompany such a beautiful lady," he smirked, making Keith mentally shake his head. (It was the expected dig, but one that Allura would not pick up on-for which he was immensely grateful.) "Where are we going again?" he finally asked.

"To the farming community of Jancia," Allura informed him. "I've been invited to a festival the people are putting on and I have agreed to go. We leave first thing in the morning."

"The Jancians are specifically holding it in the princess' honor," Keith pointedly added and he could see by the subtle change in Lance's expression that he had just gotten his full attention. Lance was as protective of Allura as he was, and, like him, he would do anything in his power to keep her safe. (Lance and Allura shared a fairly close friendship themselves. And a friendship was all it was. If Lance had ever had any romantic designs on her, he would have acted on them a long time ago. And the princess had never shown that kind of interest in him, either. If anything, he was the brother she had never had.) Of his three teammates, he was the best choice to accompany her. "The invitation was actually for her alone. But I am insisting that she have an escort for security purposes."

Lance gave him a small nod to indicate that he had received the message loud and clear: there was something not right about the situation.

"Let me guess: Her Highness isn't too happy about that," he said aloud.

"Coran agrees with me that there isn't any danger," Allura pointed out, "but Keith is refusing to let this go. I can't go without one."

"Keith's right about this one, Princess," Lance supported him. "It's better to be safe than sorry." He gave her a cocky grin. "And who better to be safe with than me? Trust me, no one's going to dare come near you with me on your arm. My aura of danger alone will keep you safe."

Allura stared at him in disbelief before turning to Keith with a look of mock-indignation. "Just remember, if anything happens to me, it'll be your fault for sending him with me."

Keith grinned, confident that she was in good hands.

"I give you permission to punish me however you like when you get back if it does," he informed her.

"You have yourself a deal, Commander," she agreed. "Let's go rejoin the others. Lance, you can come too. I want to introduce you to Stayden.

"We have a lot of work to do if we're going to be ready to leave first thing in the morning."

((()))

Lance watched Keith as he watched Allura lead Stayden the farmer towards the guest wing of the castle.

He mentally shook his head. Those two had it so bad for each other that it was getting ridiculous.

He wondered what it would take to get either of them to finally make a move. The two of them had been pretending not to be head-over-heels in love with each other for the nearly two years they'd known each other. In Lance's opinion, it was getting old. They just needed to get together already.

And it wasn't like their feelings for each other were the big secret that Keith and Allura believed it was. Everyone and their brother knew they had a thing for each other. Well, everyone but the two of them. (And Nanny. If Nanny knew anything, the entire universe would have heard about it by now. She'd be hopping mad that her "baby" was completely in love with one of the "hooligans." Allura would have probably been immediately forced into a marriage with the first prince Nanny could get a hold of to make sure Keith stayed away from her.)

Lance had entertained the notion of taking matters into his own hands on more than one occasion. (It would be worth whatever punishment Keith inflicted on him for interfering in his personal business if it worked.) If anyone deserved to find some happiness, it was Keith and Allura. They'd both been through hell in their lives, Allura especially with the death of her family and the near total destruction of her world. It was long past due for them to have some joy.

If only they would realize that for themselves...

"You know, I could always attend the conference in your place," he casually suggested to Keith once Allura had disappeared from view. "I don't think the Garrison bigwigs would really care which one of us gives them the Doom intel just as long as they get it. It's been a while since you've taken any down time. You could use a couple days off. Besides, I think the princess made it very clear that she'd prefer your company to mine."

Keith gave him a look. "I've been given direct orders to attend this conference, Lance. How do you think it's going to reflect on me if I send someone in my place? I _have_ to go. Nothing short of a planet-wide emergency is going to prevent me from being there."

Lance briefly thought about proposing they make one up, but immediately decided against it. Keith was too honest and by-the-book to even consider that kind of deception, even if it meant it would give him time alone with Allura.

"When did you decide that this trip was going to be uneventful?" Keith wanted to know. "I thought you agreed with me that the princess being invited alone was suspicious."

"I did at first," Lance confirmed, "but after spending the last twenty minutes in the same room with that Stayden guy, I can't see him posing a threat to anybody, let alone the princess. I just didn't get the impression that he could be dangerous to anyone. And if the rest of the Jancians are like him, she's got nothing to worry about."

"All right, if that's true, why the solitary invitation?" Keith pressed. "It doesn't line up with anything we've experienced on Arus. It's always been implied and accepted that Allura has an escort."

"My guess? They just weren't thinking," Lance offered. "These guys are a bunch of farmers. They don't even use any technology at all. Do you know how weird it's going to be to not have my Voltcom for days while I'm there? Plus there's that whole no weapons thing they have going on. I honestly don't think this is a trap."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Keith simply told him, holding his gaze.

And Lance instantly understood his extreme worry. Keith had an instinct, more like a sixth sense, when it came to knowing that something wasn't right. It had saved their lives numerous times. His feelings had never been wrong as long as he'd known him and they had met as kids. If he'd gotten one about this festival...

"It started as soon as Stayden arrived," Keith explained. "He has to be the source. I can't see him as a threat either, but something about him and his story isn't adding up. All I know is that the princess has to be protected at all times. I don't want you letting her out of your sight for even a second.

"You can't let anything happen to her, Lance."

"I won't," he promised. He could hear the barely concealed emotions in Keith's voice. If he was being careless enough to forget to hide his more-than-professional feelings for the princess, he was more than a little worried about something happening to her on this trip. In fact, he sounded _scared._ And very few things could scare Keith... "You know I'd give my life for her."

"I know."

He wondered if Keith knew he was on to him about his love for Allura. (He'd detected it before Keith himself had probably even realized it. Until that moment, he'd toyed with the idea of pursuing the lovely princess for himself. And, in all honesty, a man would have to be either blind or crazy or both if he wasn't attracted to Allura. But as soon as he'd seen the way Keith looked at her, he'd known she was taken. And then he'd seen her look at Keith the same way. After that, there'd been no question in his mind that they were meant to be together.) It would explain not only why he was being so open with him, but why he'd selected him to go with her.

It spoke of how much Keith trusted him.

"I swear nothing will happen to her," he told him. Although he wasn't romantically interested in Allura, he still loved her with all his heart. She had become like a little sister to him over the years. And Keith he'd loved as a brother from the time they'd met. They were more than his friends and teammates. They were _family._

And he would do _anything_ to protect his family.

"You have my word."

"Thank you," Keith quietly said, sounding relieved.

Lance flashed him a grin.

"Of course."

((()))

Allura could not help but smile as she stepped out into the sunlight. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. The sky was bright blue and there was not a cloud in sight.

It was the perfect day to attend a festival.

It had been a long while since any of her people had felt like celebrating anything. The attacks from Doom came so frequently these days that they spent most of their time rebuilding what had been destroyed in the previous attack. She often feared that her people had lost their ability to feel happiness. She took it as a good sign that the Jancians were taking advantage of the small month-long reprieve Arus had been having. (She had no idea how much longer it was going to last, but she tried not to think too much about it. It was better to take things one day at a time. Otherwise she'd go crazy from wondering when the next assault was going to come.) What were she and the Voltron Force fighting for if not to give her people the freedom to enjoy their lives?

And she was planning on doing exactly that herself at the festival. It was going to be nice to get away from her castle. It had been ages since she'd traveled anywhere that wasn't battle-related. She just knew the next few days would be wonderful. And she also knew having Lance as her escort was going to be a lot of fun. (It would not take him long to realize that Keith was worried over nothing.) He had the most amazing sense of humor and she enjoyed spending time with him. He had the ability to find the fun in almost any situation. (Battles included!) She especially looked forward to watching him flirt with all the local women. No one could turn on the charm like Lance. (She knew it was wrong of her, but there was nothing funnier than watching him strike out with a pretty girl. He was always so baffled when one didn't instantly fall in love with him. Thankfully there was always another girl nearby that he could target next. He was absolutely shameless, and as he often told her, proud of it.)

She started scanning the bustling crowd for her escort. She had exited the castle by the stables, which was their departure point. (It had been Keith's suggestion. The princess usually left the castle grounds via the main entrance. No one would suspect that she was in a carriage leaving from the stables like a member of the castle staff.) There were numerous servants running back and forth with last minute preparations. She saw the luggage she had proudly packed herself (Nanny would never have let her gotten away with packing as casually as she had if she'd been here) being loaded into the waiting carriage. She also spotted Stayden speaking with the driver about his horses, both of which had already been harnessed to the vehicle. Finally, she located Lance. He was deep in conversation with Keith.

Keith...

Just the sight of him made her heart race and her stomach do all sorts of strange things.

There were no words to describe how much she loved him.

She wasn't even sure of when she had fallen in love with him. (She suspected it was from the moment they'd met. When he had taken her hand in his for the first time and...) It felt like she had known him all her life. He was the most wonderful and amazing person she had ever met. He was kind and compassionate and generous and good and so much more. (He was gorgeous too, but in her heart, she knew she would have fallen in love with this man even if he hadn't been. It was his inner beauty that had attracted her.) In her mind, no one could ever compare to him.

Especially not some prince. (She dreaded the day that Coran and Nanny would force her to find a husband. If she couldn't marry Keith, she didn't want to marry at all. She would never love anyone else as long as she lived.)

She often wondered what he felt towards her. She knew he felt _something,_ but exactly _what_ she could never guess. Keith kept his personal feelings private. (He spoke very little about himself. He had shared some things with her when they were alone, but those conversations were few and far between. The majority of her knowledge of him and his past had come from the others.) Yet she knew he felt things deeply. She'd seen how he reacted to each and every one of Zarkon's atrocities. _Those_ feelings he did nothing to hide. It was only the ones that were aimed at her that she could not figure out.

Did he simply see her as a friend? Perhaps even as a sister, as she knew Lance and the others saw her? Or did he love her? Even just a tiny bit? Did he dream of her the way she dreamed of him night after night? Did he treasure every small touch they shared like she did?

She longed to ask him, but the overwhelming fear that he did not return her feelings kept her silent. Because if she asked him and he told her that he didn't feel the same way...

It was better not to know.

Safer.

She forced herself to calm her emotions. The last thing she wanted was to give herself away. (It was a daily struggle, but she worked very hard to keep her true feelings hidden. If either Coran or Nanny came to suspect that she had fallen in love...) She valued Keith's friendship too much to risk compromising their relationship. It would kill her if she ever lost him.

A sudden tug on the bottom of her dress brought her attention back to the present. She looked down to see three of her friends looking up at her with their big red eyes.

"What? One goodbye wasn't enough?" she teased them as she knelt down and extended her hand, palm up.

The little space mice leapt onto the proffered palm and scurried up her arm to her shoulders. They each planted tiny kisses on her cheeks that made her giggle.

"I love you too, but you're still not coming on this trip," she informed them. "I'm afraid I've found the one place on Arus where you little ones wouldn't be welcome. I'm very sorry."

The three cybernetic animals glared at her before running back down her arm.

"I'll bring you to the next festival. I promise," she assured them.

All three of them blew her the raspberries before running back towards the castle.

She shook her head in amusement.

"I don't think they're very happy with you right now, Princess."

Startled, Allura looked up to see Keith standing over her.

Panic immediately set in. Where had he come from and how long had he been standing there? She couldn't believe she had been too distracted to see him coming over to her. (And after she'd been openly staring at him yet! She prayed that he hadn't seen her.) But now he was here and she was unprepared emotionally to speak with him. (What if she said the wrong thing? She'd die!) What was she going to do?

"But I have a feeling they'll be over it by the time you come home," he smiled at her and she felt all her worries instantly melt away. The effect he had on her... "I'm sure Pidge can find plenty of ways to keep them busy." He held out his hand to her.

Her emotions under control once more, she returned his smile and accepted his hand.

"Thank you," she said as he pulled her to her feet.

"You're welcome."

They stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Keith still holding on to her hand.

She wished he'd never let go.

Suddenly, his smile faded and she instantly knew that something wasn't right. This wasn't like Keith at all. Was he still worried about her going to the festival? She was taking every precaution he had asked of her. What was left for him to be concerned about?

"Allura, I need you to promise me something," he spoke in a quiet voice that was full of undisguised worry.

"Of course," she assured him. He was visibly upset, which was something she had rarely witnessed. He usually kept his emotions under such tight control. If he was at a point where he could no longer maintain his usual mask of calmness... "Anything you want. Ask it and I'll do it."

And she meant every word. She would do _anything_ for him.

Anything and everything.

He brought his free hand to join the one already holding one of hers and locked his gaze with hers.

"Just promise me that you'll stay safe," he said in the same emotion-filled voice as before. And this time, she also heard a hint of fear... "I know you don't believe that anything is going to happen and I want more than anything for you to be right, but I need to hear you say it for my own peace of mind. Please, Allura. Just promise me."

She searched his face, wondering where all of this was coming from. Keith had always been overprotective of her, but this went far beyond anything he'd ever expressed before. What had him so worried that he was afraid that his own security measures would not be enough to keep her safe? Why was he acting this way over a simple festival? It made no sense to her.

"I promise," she softly swore, wishing she knew what had him so afraid for her safety. Did he know something that he hadn't told her or anyone else? (No, Keith would never keep anything like that to himself. If he had evidence of a specific danger, he would have shared it with the team and prevented her from attending the festival altogether. This was something else.) His concern for her was clearly consuming him. (Had he prepared at all for his conference?) She wished she knew how to ease his fears. She didn't want to leave him like this.

She resisted the urge to reach out and touch his cheek in a comforting gesture. They were too exposed out in the open like this. If Coran or any of the staff saw her be so familiar with Keith... The last thing she wanted to do was get him in trouble. (It was times like this that she hated being the princess. All she wanted to do was comfort the man she loved, but she couldn't because of what others would think of her "improper" behavior. It wasn't fair.)

"Keith, please tell me what's really going on," she implored in the same low voice. She brought her free hand to cover both of his. "This isn't like you. Help me understand what has you so afraid for me. I want... I _need_ to know. Please. Tell me."

He looked away from her, but did not move or withdraw his hands from hers.

"Please talk to me," she begged. "Please, Keith."

She waited patiently for him to say something to her. She refused to go anywhere until she had an answer to her question.

Finally, his face returned to hers.

"I'm afraid of losing you, Allura."

His words shook her to the core. He was afraid of losing _her_? Did that mean...? Could he actually...?

Her heart began to race. Was he saying what she had been wanting to hear him say for so long? Was he finally giving her the answer to her unspoken question?

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to say yes when you asked me to come with you yesterday," he continued, less emotion in his voice now. His usual control was returning and she feared the answer that she sought was once again out of her reach. "I don't like the fact that we're going to be out of contact for several days. We've never been purposely out of touch before. If anything happens to you, I won't know about it until someone from there comes and tells me. And that scares me, Allura. It scares me more than I can say."

"Keith, I..."

She wished she knew what to say to him, but she had a feeling that no words would end his pain.

"I wish there was a way I could get out of this conference."

These words, more than anything else he had said, stunned her. Keith never put his personal feelings ahead of his duties. Did this mean...?

Did she dare to hope? He had all but admitted that he had feelings for her, but were they the kind of feelings she wanted them to be? Did he in fact love her the way she loved him?

For a moment, she was tempted to ask him the question that had been in her heart for so long now, but the moment quickly passed. Despite everything he had admitted, she was too afraid that the answer would not be the one she had prayed for. Just knowing that he had feelings for her had to be enough.

It _had_ to be.

"Maybe you could come after it was over?" she tentatively suggested. "It's only for today, isn't it?"

He gave her a weak smile. "It's supposed to be, but you never know with these things. They can go on for hours or days. It all depends on how much information will be shared and discussed."

"But if it's over before I return, will you come join me?" she asked. "I'll make sure the Jancians let you in. They won't be able to turn you away if I tell them not to."

She knew it was the only way to prove to him that there was no danger at all. He _had_ to come.

"I promise that I'll come if I can," he offered. "That's the best I can do."

She smiled back at him. "That's all I wanted to know."

"Allura, I-"

"Your Highness!"

Allura quickly withdrew her hands from Keith's and turned in the direction Coran's voice had come from.

"Your carriage is ready now," Coran told her as he and Lance approached them. (She prayed that neither had seen how she had been holding Keith's hands. Although less intimate than other gestures she could have made, it would lead to questions that she could not answer without giving herself away.) "Whenever you would like to leave."

"Thank you, Coran," she accepted. "I'll be right there."

She returned her attention to Keith. "Don't forget your promise."

"I won't," he assured her. "And I expect you to do the same."

"I will," she let him know. "Goodbye, Keith."

"Bye, Princess."

Lance stepped forward and took Allura by the arm.

"All right, Princess, enough with the mushy stuff," he quipped. "There's a whole festival waiting for its guest of honor. Time to get this show on the road." He nodded at Keith. "Enjoy your conference, Commander."

"Just watch out for the princess, Lance," Keith replied. "And try not to hit on all of the ladies on the first day."

"I guess that'll depend on how many of them there are altogether," Lance shot back. "I can't help it if they all want some of this." He gestured at himself with his free hand.

"I hope you won't be too busy breaking hearts to remember that you're there with me," Allura teased.

"Never," he assured her. "How could I forget that my date is the prettiest one at the entire festival?"

Allura laughed. "You say that now. Just wait until you get there. I'm sure I'll be outshone by more than a few girls. Oh, and try not to get us banned from Jancia for life by flirting with the wrong person's daughter."

"Hey, what happened to the sweet princess I was supposed to be escorting?" Lance retorted.

"I think she spent too much time around you," Keith put in and Lance glared at him.

Allura laughed again and started pulling Lance towards the carriage. It relieved her that Keith was feeling better enough to make jokes. (Then again, Lance made it _so_ easy.)

"Okay, I think we need to start going. We have a long ride ahead of us."

"I know some ways we can make the time just fly by if you catch my drift," Lance informed her with a smirk. He waggled his eyebrows.

"As long as Stayden can participate too," she sweetly replied.

"Hey, as long as he's game I say we go for it."

She shook her head before glancing over her shoulder one last time at Keith. He gave her a nod and a small smile.

She returned his smile and turned back around.

There were so many reasons for why she hoped he would join her at the festival. While the most important was of course to prove to him that he was imagining the danger, she wanted him to have time away from his duties. He took his responsibility as the leader of the Voltron Force so seriously and rarely devoted any time to himself. He was constantly pushing himself and he was always doing _something,_ from physical training to monitoring the castle defenses. As far as Allura knew, he hardly ever relaxed. Any time spent at the festival, even if it was less than a day, would do him a world of good.

And of course there was the fact that she selfishly wanted to spend some time with him away from the prying eyes of Coran and Nanny. (Lance would be too busy wooing all the Jancian women to pay attention to her and Keith.) She wanted to be free to touch him and not worry about being judged herself or getting him into trouble even for a single day.

But there was no guarantee that he would come. Keith always put his duty first and if the conference lasted longer than expected...

But she was not going to let that possibility ruin her enjoyment. She was going to a festival! And no one could be sad or disappointed at a festival.

Pushing aside all thoughts of her beloved for the moment, she concentrated on all of the wonderful things that could be found at a festival.

She just knew she was going to have an amazing time.

((()))

Keith watched Allura as she walked away from him. Lance was still holding her by the arm and they were both smiling and laughing. Seeing them like that confirmed that he'd made the right decision in sending Lance as her escort. They got along very well with each other. It wouldn't be too long before Lance had her too distracted to think about what he had almost admitted to her.

He couldn't believe he had been so careless! He could _never_ let himself be so open with her ever again. Not if he had any hope of keeping his love for her a secret. If he hadn't stopped himself when he had...

He had watched as Allura's feelings for him had risen to the surface in reaction to his words. No matter how deep they did or did not run, the moment she found out the truth, she would want to enter into a relationship with him. (He knew Allura too well. She'd want him to be happy even if she didn't feel exactly the same way.) He didn't know if he'd be able to say "no" to her despite knowing it would only lead to disaster and ultimately heartbreak. The only way to keep that from happening would be to prevent her from ever learning how he truly felt about her. For her own protection, she had to remain in the dark.

He blamed his carelessness on his lack of sleep. His bad feeling had grown steadily worse over the course of the day and he'd been unable to sleep because of it. He'd spent most of the night laying awake and worrying about Allura, his every thought consumed with the possible dangers she could face. He'd tried everything he could think of to get her off his mind, but to no avail. (He was more than a little concerned that his sleep deprivation would affect his presentation at the conference. He could not let his superior officers find out that his poor state was a result of his personal attachment to the princess. It could very well cost him his command.) She was all he could focus on. He doubted that would change until she was safely back in the castle where she belonged.

With _him._

He continued watching as Allura and Lance arrived at the carriage. With an exaggerated flourish, Lance bowed to her before helping her board. Keith could only smile at her sheer delight at Lance's antics. He knew that she was in good hands. Lance would do everything he could to keep her safe.

But if his everything wasn't enough...

"What did you make Her Highness promise you?" Coran asked as Allura and Lance disappeared into the carriage. He had remained with Keith after they had walked away.

Keith turned to look at the royal advisor. "That she should be careful."

Coran studied him for a moment. "You're still convinced she's in danger."

"I am," he honestly answered. As he had done with Allura, he purposely omitted any mention of his bad feeling. He couldn't risk Coran figuring out the true extent of his concern. "I've made no secret that I don't like anything about this situation. The princess is going someplace where she'll have no contact with us here and we won't be able to contact her either. We won't know anything about what's going on with her until she returns. And if anything goes wrong and our help is needed, we won't find out until long after it's already happened. Nothing about this festival is sitting right with me." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "If it weren't for this conference, I would have gone with the princess myself to make sure that nothing happened to her."

Keith knew that Coran was aware of his deep feelings for Allura though he doubted he realized their actual nature. (If he had, Keith knew he would have been removed from his command a long time ago.) He had said as much several months ago, on the first evening of the summit meeting held on Arus for all the worlds oppressed by Zarkon, when he had remarked that Keith was more concerned about her safety than he himself was. Keith had seen no reason to deny it because it was true. Being concerned about her safety, as far as Coran was concerned, was a far cry from being in love with her.

Coran seemed to ponder his words. "Do you not believe that Lance can protect her as well as you can?" he pointedly questioned.

"Not at all," Keith assured him. "Lance, for all of his mouthing off and disobedience, is one of the best soldiers I've ever known. I'd trust him with my life. The princess is well-protected under his care. It's just that..." He searched for words that would convey his worry without the true reason behind them. "_I_ don't like not knowing where she is at all times."

Again, Coran appeared to study him.

"Her Highness is very lucky to have someone like you looking after her," he said quietly after a moment.

_No, I'm the lucky one,_ he silently corrected.

Before Allura had come into his life, he hadn't realized how empty it had been. True, he'd had his teammates, who had become so much more over the years, and his duty, but that was all. His estrangement from his family and then the failure of his one and only relationship had left him without anyone to love or be loved by in return. And for the longest time, he had been all right with it, accepting it as how his life was going to be. Then he had met Allura...

From the moment he had first laid eyes on her, everything had changed. She had brought feelings to life in him that he hadn't believed himself capable of any longer. With her mere presence, she could soothe his every hurt. In a very short period of time, she had become everything to him. He couldn't imagine living without her.

She _was_ his life.

The driver shook the horses' reins and the carriage began to move away from the castle.

"I should start preparing for my conference now," Keith said to break the silence that had fallen between Coran and himself as they had watched the carriage disappear into the distance. "Tell Hunk and Pidge that I'm not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

"Of course, Commander," Coran nodded. "Do you think the conference will take the entire day?"

"It's very possible," Keith told him. "In fact, I can guarantee it. You probably won't see very much of me for the next few days."

"I understand," Coran acknowledged. "Shall I have your meals sent to your office?"

"Thank you, but there's no need to bother," he waved him off. "I'll have the kitchen send something if I get hungry. I'll see you after the conference."

He started to walk away.

"Oh, Commander, one more thing," Coran called after him.

He turned back around.

"What did the princess have you promise her?"

"That I would join her at the festival if the conference ended early."

"Ah," Coran said knowingly.

They both knew that there was very little chance of that happening. Even if the conference did end early, which Keith seriously doubted based on past experiences, he would never leave the castle so unprotected. Three Lions were more effective than two in case of attack. Keith had only made the promise to keep her happy.

"I'll see you later, Coran."

"You too, Commander."

Keith turned away again and headed back to the castle, his bad feeling stronger than ever.

_Please stay safe, my love._

((()))

Allura watched the countryside rolling by outside of her window. She had never visited this part of Arus before and she was amazed by its sheer beauty. It made her wonder what other parts of her world, the world she would one day rule as queen, she did not know about.

She understood why she had been kept hidden away for most of her life. As the sole heir to the throne, she had to be protected at all costs. Because she had been so young when she lost her parents, first her mother to illness and then her father to war, Coran and Nanny had thought it to be in her best interest to keep her isolated from both those who would harm her and those who would look to her as their leader. As a result, she had grown up not realizing that there was more to the world than caves and the ruins of her castle. Her guardians had rarely let her go outside. It wasn't until the Voltron Force arrived that she had begun to explore the planet she was destined to rule.

"You doing okay, Princess?" Lance asked from his seat across from her, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned away from the scenery to look at him. "Mm-hmm. It's just so beautiful out here." She sighed. "It makes me realize how little I know of my own world beyond my home kingdom. How can I be expected to rule what I've never seen?"

"Yeah, because you've had just so much free time to go sightseeing," Lance quipped. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Allura. No one can expect you to know everything about the entire planet. It's just way too big! You'll do just fine. Trust me." He shot her a grin. "And remember, whatever you don't feel like dealing with yourself, you can just pass off onto your king!"

Allura knew he was trying to make her feel better, but the reminder that she was expected to marry before she ascended the throne irritated her. (There was only one man she'd _ever_ marry and if she couldn't marry him, she'd remain unwed for the rest of her life.) The notion that a woman couldn't rule by herself was so backwards! She found it highly insulting.

"I'm so tired of being told that I have to get married," she declared. "Aunt Orla does perfectly fine on her own. If she doesn't have a king, I don't see why I need one."

"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't she a widow?" Lance questioned.

"Yes," Allura confirmed, "but my uncle died before I was born. Orla has been ruling her kingdom all on her own for over twenty years. If that's not proof that a king isn't necessary, I don't know what is."

"Okay, but when did she become queen? Before or after she was married?" Lance pressed.

"After," she conceded, "but that's beside the point. My point is that she is doing just fine as queen without a king ruling with her. Why can't I do the same? I don't think it's fair."

"Fair or not, from what I understand it's the law, Princess," he reminded her. "I'm sure Nanny or Coran would be more than happy to give you all the details."

"Ugh! The last thing I want is another lecture on how I'm not getting any younger," she said disgustedly.

"Not getting any younger?!" Lance repeated in disbelief. "Yes, because nineteen is _so_ old!"

"It is if you're an Arusian royal," she informed him. "Sixteen is seen as the ideal age for princesses to get married and start having children. I'm considered strange to be my age and not have had a single suitor. But I refuse to marry just for the sake of marrying. If I get married, it will be to the man I... I mean, I will have to be in love with the man."

Although it hadn't exactly been a slip, as nothing had actually been said, Allura felt horrified all the same. She had all but admitted that she was already in love with someone. Of all the people to make that mistake in front of, Lance was the worst choice. He was Keith's best friend and he was not known for keeping things to himself. If he said something to Keith and Keith really did feel the same way about her as she did about him...

"And that's exactly the way it should be when you get married, Princess," Lance said, giving no indication that he'd taken notice of her near-admission. "Marrying a guy you don't love is the worst thing you could do. The two of you would be miserable together for the rest of your lives. Believe me, Earth history alone is filled with loveless royal marriages. With all the lovers the kings and queens took, things got pretty messy!"

Allura felt herself turn red at the idea of taking a lover who was not her husband. It was so very wrong for so many reasons! She could _never_ do something like that! Not even if it was with Keith.

"Don't let Nanny or Coran pressure you into marrying just any prince," he told her. "Stick to your guns. You should only marry the guy you love."

_The guy you love._

Allura tried very hard not to react. There was no mistaking the present tense of his words. Lance _knew_ she was already in love with someone. He _had_ in fact caught her slip-up. This was very bad. Very, very, _very_ bad. If he said something to Keith...

She looked away from him, afraid to meet his eyes. She should have never allowed this conversation to happen. What had started out as an innocent joke was turning into a disaster. It was her own fault. Why had she said what she'd said? Now she had captured Lance's insatiable curiosity and she just knew that he wouldn't stop asking questions until he got a name from her. What was she going to do?

_I'll have to lie,_ she decided, feeling sick at the prospect. Any name she gave was going to get back to Keith because Lance _would_ tell him. And then Keith would...

He would...

She didn't want to even think about it.

Her eyes fell on Stayden, who was thankfully asleep. (Would she have been so careless with her words if he had been awake and listening?) If only she had fallen asleep as he had! Instead her big mouth had gotten her into a conversation she should not be having. She just wanted it to be over already.

"One more question on your favorite subject and then I'll leave you alone," Lance spoke up after several moments of silence.

She returned her gaze to him, wondering at his sudden interest in her future marriage. Why was he asking her all of these questions? Couldn't he see how uncomfortable this conversation was making her? (He probably did and just didn't care, she decided. When Lance wanted to know something, he didn't give up until he had his answers.) And what business was it of his anyway? He had no say in what she did with her life. And it wasn't as if he was interested in her romantically either. (She knew for a fact that he wasn't. She'd seen what Lance was like when he was seriously pursuing a woman. What he did with her was nothing more than playful flirting. There was no comparison.)

"Can you marry just anyone or does he have to be a prince?"

She felt a mixture of relief and pain at the question. Relief that he wasn't trying to find out who she was in love with and pain because it was yet another reminder of the fact that she and Keith could never have the life she dreamed for them to have together.

"I can only marry a prince," she told him. "My husband has to be eligible to become king at our coronation. The only way I could marry someone who wasn't would be if I gave up the throne. And since there's no one to take my place..."

She would never admit it to anyone, but she had fantasized more times than she could count about giving up everything for Keith. Of course, in those fantasies he loved her the way she loved him...

"Not even Larmina?" he asked, sounding surprised.

She shook her head. "Larmina's only royal by adoption. Only those born with royal blood can rule Arus. Any future ruler must be born of my body."

She also had fantasies in which, by some miracle, she _was_ allowed to marry Keith and in them they had many beautiful children together. Little boys and girls whom she and Keith constantly showered with love and affection. Those dreams were her favorites. She always woke up from those with a smile.

"That's not very fair," Lance decided. "It's not like you can control who you've fallen in love with."

"No," she agreed, wishing she could find a way to change the topic of conversation. She had a feeling that he was going to start fishing for a name at any minute and she couldn't make her mind work to come up with one. She'd have to choose carefully. It couldn't be a name that-

"Whoa!"

Their carriage came to a sudden stop and Allura found herself thrown from her seat.

Lance caught her in his arms. "Are you okay, Princess?"

She nodded and looked over at Stayden, who had been abruptly jarred out of his sleep. There was a look of confusion on his face.

"What do you think-?" she started to ask.

"You there!" came the driver's voice. "What are you-"

The words were cut short by what sounded like an energy blast followed by a clear scream of pain.

Allura's eyes widened as she felt her terror begin to rise. Their driver was a complete innocent just doing his job. Why would someone hurt him? What was happening? Were they being robbed?

"It's going to be okay, Princess," Lance softly murmured into her ear, giving her a quick squeeze. "I promised Keith I wouldn't let anything happen to you and that's a promise I intend to keep."

Her fear briefly turned into surprise at his words. Why would Lance take the time to mention Keith at a time like this? But before she could ask him, he had already released her from his arms.

"Both of you stay here," he ordered as he slid towards the door. "I'm going to check this out."

"Be careful," she urged him, growing more frightened with every passing second. There had been no further sounds from outside the carriage, not even a moan of pain from the driver. (She hoped that only meant that he has been rendered unconscious.) It was unusual for a large group to be so silent. (From all her studies, she knew that robbers traveled in large groups. No single person could pull off a crime as complicated as highway robbery.) What were they doing?

Lance gave her a grin. "Aren't I always?"

Allura was too afraid to be affected by his attempt to lighten the situation. There were who-knew-how-many enemies out there and at least one of them was armed. Lance didn't have any of his weapons because of the Jancians' anti-technology lifestyle. If they moved to attack him...

Lance eased the door open and cautiously exited into the bright daylight.

Allura felt a hand on her leg and she looked at Stayden. To her surprise, he looked sad.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he said, confusing her. "I didn't have a choice."

"What are you-?"

"Allura! Run!"

Startled, she didn't even waste a second thinking. She just reacted. She pulled away from Stayden and flung herself out of the carriage as there was the sound of another energy blast.

"Hello, pretty princess."

Allura didn't dare to look towards the source of that horribly familiar voice. She just started running.

Tears of fright streamed down her face as she tore down the road to get as far away from Haggar as possible. Lance and their innocent driver had already fallen to her evil power. (_Oh, gods! Please don't let either of them be dead!_) If she didn't get away, she would be next.

She barely registered the explosions of dirt around her as Haggar's blasts hit the ground instead of her. She just kept running, her only thought to get away.

To get back to Keith.

_You were right,_ she thought as she continued to flee. _Why didn't I listen to you?_

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened: Allura's foot got caught in the hem of her dress and she tripped, her body flying uncontrollably through the air. She cried out as she hit the ground, the impact hard and painful. She felt sharp pains on her legs and hands, sure that she was bleeding from any number of cuts.

Allura struggled to push herself to her feet but froze as Haggar's blue cat stepped into view, making his horrible screeching noises. She knew that if she moved, he would attack her.

_No! Oh, no!_

She was trapped and she had no way of calling for help.

There would be no rescue or escape.

"Did no one teach you that it is very rude to run away from someone who is trying to speak to you?" Haggar's voice came from behind her. "Your behavior is very unbecoming for the future queen of Doom."

Allura pushed herself into a sitting position and turned around so that she was facing the horrid witch.

"I'll never marry Lotor!" she defiantly declared, anger replacing her fear. Was that what this elaborate trap was about? To capture her so she could be forced to marry Lotor? Two people had possibly died just so she could be dragged back to Doom for a wedding? There were no words to describe her horror. "I'll die first!"

"Ah, but that is the one thing I cannot allow to happen, Princess Allura," Haggar said, coming closer as Allura reflexively scooted a few inches back. "Your continued well-being is an integral part of my plan."

Allura's terror returned as Haggar raised her staff.

"Until it is no longer necessary."

There was a bright flash and her last thought before blacking out was of her beloved.

"Keith..."

((()))

_Keith..._

Keith was startled by the faint sound of his name being spoken in the back of his mind.

It was in _her_ voice.

"Allura..." he breathed, not sure if he had imagined it or if he was actually hearing her. (He had been exposed to so many strange phenomena since coming to Arus that it wouldn't surprise him at all if her mind had truly reached out to his. After all, Allura had told him that not too long ago she had heard _him_ in her mind when he wasn't even on the planet. He had believed her without question. She'd had no reason to lie. He had wondered then if she had some telepathic abilities of which she herself was not aware. He was now becoming convinced that she did.)

Suddenly, his bad feeling grew exponentially and then he _knew._

Allura was in danger.

What he had heard was a cry for help.

_His_ help.

He _had_ to get to her.

"Commander Kogane? Is everything all right?" a voice broke into his frantic thoughts, forcing him to remember where he was and why he was there.

Keith looked up at the numerous faces being displayed on the holoscreens that were being projected above his desk. The majority of them, all men and women who had been his teachers and/or superior officers in years past, appeared concerned, though there was one or two that seemed unaffected by his distress. And one in particular actually seemed annoyed at the interruption: General Wade, whom Keith had disliked from the moment they'd met. (It was unfortunate that Wade appeared to be on-track to replace Space Marshall Graham, who was expected to announce his retirement in the next year. He feared for the future of the Alliance if Wade took over.)

"I apologize, gentlemen," he said, straightening up in his seat. "I'm afraid I'm beginning to feel unwell. I must be coming down with something. I'll have to visit the medical wing after we conclude our business here. Please, continue."

As much as he wanted to jump into Black and go searching for Allura, he knew that he could not leave the conference unless he could prove there was a dire need of his services elsewhere. And a feeling that the princess was in danger, as real and intense as it was to him, was insubstantial evidence. More importantly, he had yet to present his intel, which was a crucial part of the conference's agenda. He had to trust that Lance could protect her.

He had no other choice.

"Are you sure you're well enough to stay?" Marshall Graham wanted to know. "You can always transmit your data to us."

"I'm fine, Marshall, thank you," Keith declined though appreciative of the concern. He had first met Graham during his academy years. His outstanding performance in his classes had brought him to the Space Marshall's attention at an early age. Graham had been watching his career with interest ever since. "Continue. Please."

Graham nodded and moved onto the next item on the agenda.

Keith tried to concentrate on what was being said, but his mind kept wandering back to Allura. He knew that something was terribly wrong. Her mind wouldn't have reached out to his if it wasn't. (He would have to have a discussion with her about honing her abilities. It could be an invaluable asset to her.) He would not be able to rest until she was safely back home.

He would go to the control room as soon as the meeting was over and use the scanner to locate Allura's carriage. He hoped against hope that he would find it safely parked inside of Jancia's border. He wanted more than anything for his feeling to be wrong. But deep inside he knew that it wasn't.

Unable to do anything more for now, he forced himself to focus on the conference.

_Hang on, Allura. I'll find you, my love._

((()))

The first thing Lance noticed as he opened his eyes was that he was lying flat on his back in a dimly lit room.

_Wha-? Where am I?_

He sat up, trying to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there, but his mind was fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. What the hell had happened to him? (Not that this was the first time he'd woken up in a strange place, but he usually knew exactly how he'd gotten there and with whom he'd arrived.)

He wondered if he had been drugged somehow. As a rule, he didn't put anything into his system that would do more than give him a minor buzz. (What was the point of a good time if you couldn't remember it? He'd figured _that_ out a long time ago.) Had he been slipped something without his knowledge? And if so, who had done it and why?

He decided the perpetrator wasn't completely hostile as he was still in one piece and he wasn't restrained in any way. Though it was clear that someone didn't know the meaning of the term "comfortable accommodations." He had been placed on the ground on what amounted to be nothing more than a quilt with a pillow under his head. Neither one was very soft. What the hell had-

And suddenly he remembered everything.

_Haggar!_

Haggar had ambushed their carriage. She had killed their driver. (Lance regretted not having taken the time to ask the man his name. He would never make that mistake again. Too many lives had been already lost to take any one for granted.) And then she'd-

_Oh, god, the princess!_

What had happened to the princess? He remembered yelling for her to run as soon as he'd seen Haggar, but the witch had blasted him almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. Everything had gone black before Allura had even had a chance to emerge from the carriage. He hoped to all the gods in every universe that she had gotten away and somehow made it back to the castle.

Made it back to _Keith_...

But deep down he knew that she hadn't escaped. Allura didn't have the skills or the training to evade a determined pursuer, especially one aided by magic. Haggar would have caught her easily.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," he murmured.

He had failed her. Keith had been counting on him to keep her safe and he had blown it. Now Allura was in Doom's clutches, more likely than not already on her way to Lotor for whatever sick plans he had for her. (Despite the brave front she put on for the team, she was extremely fragile. He couldn't even begin to imagine how terrified she was at this very moment. He didn't _want_ to.) If he made it out of this mess alive, Keith would kill him.

And speaking of being alive, he couldn't understand why he still was. Why hadn't Haggar killed him? She'd had the perfect shot. Hell, she'd _taken_ it, but instead of ending his life, it had only knocked him out. Why? What sick, twisted plans did she have in store for him?

Lance decided it was best to try not to imagine what Haggar wanted to do with him. Whatever it was, he knew it would eventually lead to his death anyway. (A slow, painful, and torturous death, he was sure. The witch did not have a merciful bone in her body.) Instead he needed to focus on trying to get out of here before she had a chance to get started.

Of course, before he could escape, he needed to know where he was escaping _from._ Having already spent time in a Doom prison cell, he could scratch that one off the list. This place was way too comfortable in comparison. He also knew that he wasn't on a ship. If he was, there'd be the tell-tale vibration in the floor from the movement. Could he still be on Arus? If that was the case, it would make his next move after breaking out a hell of a lot easier. He'd go straight back to the castle and tell Keith what had happened. And then it would only be a matter of hours before Allura was back where she belonged. Keith wouldn't waste a precious second before launching a rescue.

Hopefully he'd have a chance to say goodbye to everyone after they got back before Keith murdered him for letting her get captured in the first place...

But he was getting ahead of himself. Before he could get back home and sign his own death warrant, he had to break out of this place first. He started scanning his surroundings, trying to assess what he had to work with. Without his Voltcom or his gun, he'd have to make due with whatever was in here with him. It was hard to make things out in the dim light-

He came to a complete stop as he noticed that he wasn't alone. There was another figure lying on the floor not far from where he had been placed. And there was no mistaking who it was.

"Allura," he breathed.

He quickly crawled over to her, immensely relieved to discover that she was mercifully unconscious. (The last thing he needed to deal with right now was a hysterical princess. As much as he loved Allura, he wouldn't be able to afford the precious time needed to calm her down. He didn't know how long he had before someone came to check on them and they needed to be gone before that happened. Because once Haggar returned...) Like him, she had been placed on a quilt with a pillow under her head. And also like him, she had not been restrained.

As he started gently checking her body for injuries, it occurred to him that something was off about this entire situation. Allura was the ultimate prize as far as anyone from Doom was concerned. She was not the kind of prisoner you just threw in a cell and forgot about. She should have been guarded and protected to ensure that she was given to Lotor in one piece. (He had a feeling that the prince would have the head of anyone who so much as looked at her funny.) Why had she been placed in a room with the one person who could possibly help her escape? Haggar was too smart to make such an amateur mistake. The old crone never did anything that she hadn't thought through first.

Which meant that any attempt to break out of here had already been anticipated. (There was probably an entire platoon of robots outside just waiting for him to try.)

_Damn it,_ he inwardly cursed.

And if that wasn't bad enough, no one back at the castle would be missing them for days. By the time Keith and the others realized that something was wrong, he'd most likely been either dead or suffering some excruciating torture of Haggar's design and Lotor would have already had his way with Allura.

As he finished checking her over and, unsurprisingly, found her completely unharmed (Haggar knew better than to deliver her to Lotor with even something as minor as a scratch), he again thanked the universe in general that she was unconscious. Just the thought of telling Allura what horrible fate was in store for her made him sick to his stomach. But she did eventually _have_ to be told. It would be so much worse for her if she went in blind. At least she'd know what to expect when Lotor bedded her. A rescue would never come in time to prevent Lotor from taking her innocence. The time to protect her from that knowledge had unfortunately come to an end.

He didn't even want to imagine how Keith would react once he found out what had been done to her.

Lotor wouldn't stand a chance the next time they met in combat. (It was a shame he wouldn't be around to see it.)

Suddenly, there was a loud sound from somewhere outside the room and a line of light appeared at the bottom of the wall directly in front of him.

Lance moved closer to the princess and made sure that she was behind him.

The line of light started growing taller, illuminating their prison and Lance was finally able to see where they were being held.

_We're in a goddamn storage shed._

But all of the normal items that were usually kept in it, most of which could have been used as weapons, had been removed and the space had been converted into a sparse living area. Other than their makeshift beds and the single light on the ceiling, there was a small table with a bucket of water and a drinking ladle and by the back wall, a privacy screen had been set up, most likely as a place for them to relieve themselves.

_How thoughtful,_ he thought sarcastically. As if they didn't have anything to worry about other than their modesty.

The door finally came to a halt and a figure appeared in the bright entrance.

Stayden.

_Oh god._

He had assumed that the ambush had just been a case of incredibly bad luck. After all, Haggar's blue cat was always hanging around and he could have easily seen Allura get into a carriage and somehow told Haggar about it. (He was a witch's cat. There was no telling what abilities he had other than being incredibly creepy.) Now he knew that that hadn't been the case. The whole thing had been a set-up from the beginning.

And he'd fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

He didn't understand how he'd been so thoroughly fooled. He was usually a much better judge of character than that. Yet the supposed farmer hadn't tripped a single one of his mental alarms. In fact, he'd fooled just about everyone in the castle, Coran included. (Allura didn't count. She trusted _everyone._)

Everyone except Keith.

Although Lance had a feeling that Keith's distrust was more than a little motivated by the fact that Allura had been invited to the probably non-existent festival alone, his instinct about the danger had been dead-on, just as it always was. Why they had chosen to ignore his warning this one time was a mystery. (Keith was _always_ right.) And because they hadn't, they had walked right into a trap.

One that there'd be no escape from.

Stayden was carrying a tray of food and looked for all the world like a friendly host coming to serve his houseguests. The man had a lot of gall and if it weren't for Allura's presence, Lance would have gone over and decked him. It was the least he deserved for what he had done. (Death would be too good for him.)

Following after him into the shed were six Doom robots, all armed to the teeth. Lance knew he'd be wasted if he made one wrong move. (If Allura had not been there, he would have risked charging them. But the need to stay with her as long as he could enabled him to remain still. She would need him when she woke up.)

Finally (last and certainly least), and holding her ever-present cat, came Haggar herself.

And it was of course at that very moment that Allura started to stir from her sleep.

_No, no, no! Stay out of it, damn it!_

It would be very bad for her if she woke while Haggar was here. The witch would flat out tell her about her imminent trip to Doom and who was eagerly awaiting her arrival. Allura would completely fall apart and Lance didn't know if he'd be able to calm her down after hearing something like that. (Calming down hysterical women was not one of his strong suits. It was probably why he'd never been in a long-term relationship.)

As Stayden placed the food tray down on the table, Haggar walked right up to where Lance was sitting.

He willed himself not to react or say anything at all. Allura's safety had to remain his top priority. Insulting Haggar would only speed along his demise.

"Well, well, pussy cat," the witch spoke in a gleeful tone, "it seems my trap has worked even better than anticipated. Instead of simply catching a princess, it has brought me one of the space explorers as well. And not just any one of them either." Her creepy smile grew slightly wider. "It seems you have a habit of walking straight into my traps," she directly addressed Lance. "Too bad there is no one coming to save you this time."

Allura began to moan, signaling her inevitable coming to.

Lance remained silent, his fear for Allura warring with his anger at the reminder that Sven had been injured saving his life after he had charged straight into the very first ambush Haggar had set up for them. He was determined not to give in to his anger. Not if he wanted to continue to be in any condition to help the princess.

"You are probably wondering why I have kept you alive," Haggar continued casually as she put her cat down on the ground. The cat immediately settled down by her feet. "The reason is quite simple. I believe the princess will harm herself if she is left unsupervised. She has repeatedly stated that she would rather die than marry Lotor and that is something I cannot allow to happen. Her marriage to the prince is inevitable. She _will_ be his wife. You are to make sure that she doesn't make any attempt to end her life before he comes to claim her. If she is in perfect condition when he arrives, I promise you a quick and relatively painless death. If she is not..."

She didn't have to say more for Lance to know how he would be punished for his "failure."

But this was actually a good thing. It meant that Haggar intended on keeping him around for a little while longer, which meant that he'd be able to tell Allura everything she needed to know before she was taken away. Now, if she'd just hold off on waking up-

"Where...where am I?"

_Shit._

He looked over his shoulder to meet Allura's frightened and confused eyes.

"Lance? What's-"

"At last, the princess has awakened," Haggar announced in her disturbingly gleeful tone.

Allura's face paled and her eyes grew even bigger as she recognized the voice. She started to hyperventilate as she sat up and clutched onto Lance's back.

He wanted more than anything to tell her that everything was going to be all right, but it would be a lie. Everything _wasn't_ going to be all right. Not for a long while. There was no telling how long it would take for Keith and the others to find her and rescue her. And she was going to suffer at Lotor's hands until he did.

"I suggest you eat something to maintain your strength," the witch continued. "You will need it once you arrive at your new home. There is much to do before your wedding."

"I'll never marry Lotor!" Allura informed her with what Lance knew to be a false bravado. He could feel her entire body trembling against his. "I won't do it! I won't! You'll either have to let us go or kill us."

Haggar gave a harsh laugh. "Does the poor princess truly believe she has a choice? You are going to be Lotor's wife and, after he ascends the throne, his queen. But more importantly, you are going to produce his heirs. A task you will begin before you are married. Your fate is sealed. You can either accept it or be miserable in it, but there is no changing it.

"And don't count on your other friends coming to your rescue," she went on. "They have no idea that anything has happened to you. You will not be missed for days. By the time they realize you are gone, you will be Lotor's wife."

"No..." Allura whimpered.

"That's enough!" Lance finally spoke up. He was relatively certain that Haggar wouldn't kill him now. As she'd said, she needed him to make sure Allura didn't hurt herself and he couldn't do that if he was dead, now could he? "You've made your point. Leave her alone."

He didn't have to see the princess to know that she had broken down. He could hear the muffled sobs as she cried against his back.

He wondered if she'd truly understood what Haggar had meant when she said that she'd begin producing heirs _before_ the wedding. Allura was probably innocent enough to believe that Lotor would wait until after they were married to touch her. It was just another piece of bad news he was going to have to give her as gently as possible.

The blue cat growled and hissed at Haggar's feet, but the witch herself did not make any move.

Finally, she said, "Very well. The time for me to return to Doom to inform Lotor that I have his bride has come. We will return for the princess in the morning."

"Take as long as you want," Lance shot back, confident now in his temporary immunity.

"Remember your one task," Haggar warned. "Do not fail."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he retorted.

As if he'd let any harm come to Allura while he was still breathing.

Haggar snorted and turned to go.

"Come, pussy cat."

The cat made one of his distinctive screeches before trailing after his master.

Neither the robots or Stayden made a move to follow.

Ignoring their presence, Lance focused his attention on the sobbing Allura. He turned his body around and pulled her against his chest.

Allura sobbed even harder and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

"She's gone now, sweetheart," he told her as he rubbed her back. "Shh. She's gone."

Allura's only response was to continue to cry.

Lance was at a loss what to do. He knew he should try to say things that would make her feel better, but there was nothing _to_ say. Any words of comfort would be a lie and that, in his opinion, would be a cruel thing to do to her. This was by far the worst situation they had ever found themselves in.

And the first one where there would be no rescue or escape.

He wondered if even Keith would know what to say to her.

"I'm so, so very sorry."

Lance looked up to see Stayden standing above him.

"You have to believe me. I had no choice," he said. "They have my family."

"Let me guess, you were told that you and your family would live if you helped them," Lance angrily shot back. How dare he try to excuse what he had done! "Well, guess what? You're all dead anyway. You really think you'll be allowed to live since you know what happened to the princess? You and your family's death certificate was signed the moment Haggar spotted you. You're all dead."

He was rewarded with a look of pure horror on Stayden's face.

_Serves you right, you bastard._

He felt Allura pull away from his chest and he looked down at her tear-streaked face.

"P-please don't be angry with h-him, Lance," she shakily managed between sniffles. "He-he didn't know any better. He-he was just trying to protect his f-family." She turned towards Stayden and held out her hand to him, which he instantly took as he crouched down to her level. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I forgive you, Stayden."

Lance was unsurprised by Allura's instant forgiveness and sympathy for the man who had put them in this predicament. It was who she was and nothing, not even the impending nightmare of a life on Doom as Lotor's wife, could change that. But he was not as easily forgiving and remained infuriated.

"Oh, thank you, Your Highness! Thank you!" Stayden tearfully accepted, kissing her hand repeatedly. "I am so ashamed of what I have done. If I could take it back-"

"You should have thought of that before you did this to her," Lance pointed out heatedly. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to her once she's taken from Arus? Do you have even the slightest clue? Because if you did-"

"Lance, enough," Allura quietly but forcefully cut him off. "Let him be. He's already suffering enough for his actions. There's no reason to make it worse for him."

Lance snorted. "I can name a thousand."

"But you won't," she insisted. She returned her attention to Stayden, who was still clutching her hand. "Go back to your family now. Tell them that you are forgiven."

"I will, Your Highness. Thank you." He kissed her hand again before releasing it. "You truly are as kind and beautiful as everyone says."

He rose to his feet and bowed before scurrying out of the shed.

Allura again buried her face against Lance's chest, but at least she was no longer sobbing uncontrollably.

He watched as the robots moved to leave as well, their guns never moving from his position.

Finally, after the last one had exited, the door began closing and they were again plunged into dimness.

"It's just you and me again, Princess," he told her after the door completely shut. "They're gone for now."

"I'm so scared, Lance," she told him.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," he assured her, stroking her back and kissing the top of her head.

He was terrified too, but not for himself. His suffering would be short.

Hers was just beginning.

((()))

Haggar smiled to herself at how extremely well things were proceeding. Her plan had succeeded far beyond her expectations. Now, not only was the weakling princess in her possession, ready to be delivered to Lotor, but she had managed to catch one of the troublesome space explorers as well. And in an ironic twist of fate, it was the same one she had nearly eliminated upon their first meeting years ago. In a single stroke, Voltron had been effectively eliminated. They could replace one pilot on short notice, but not two. Zarkon would be extremely pleased. Arus could be destroyed at his leisure.

And she could begin to focus on her own rise to power.

A journey that would start with the birth of the heir to Doom's throne.

An heir that would be completely under her control.

Lotor was too self-serving to ever be completely loyal to her. He was only interested in things that were beneficial to him. Oh, he would never betray her. Not after all the things she had done for him, such as giving him the princess of Arus, but he would never consider anything if it didn't benefit him in some way. That was why his rule would only be temporary. He would be king until his first-born child was old enough to replace him.

A child who would do anything his "beloved" Haggar, the woman who would be more of a parent to him than either of his own, asked of him.

Even kill his own father in cold blood.

Her smile briefly widened and then faded away as she approached her ship. It had been put down in the center of the farm's main field. The farm and the family who lived there had been carefully selected after weeks of observation.

General Ishmar, the officer she had hand-picked to accompany her on this mission, stood in front of the boarding ramp.

"General, have my ship prepared to return to Doom," she addressed him as she approached. "I wish to leave at once."

"It has already been done, Your Excellency," he informed her matter-of-factly. "It it only waiting for you to board."

"A most thoughtful gesture," Haggar smiled, impressed by Ishmar's anticipation of her needs. He was not much older than Lotor, but already he had ascended the ranks of Doom's military to hold one of the highest positions in an astonishingly short period of time. He had shown himself to be a brilliant officer, winning numerous victories in Zarkon's name. He had quickly become a favorite of the king. It was Haggar's intention to secure his loyalty for herself. Depending on whose side he was on, he would make either a highly valuable ally or a dangerous enemy upon the death of Zarkon. "Excellent work, General."

Coba vocalized his agreement as he circled her legs.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Ishmar simply accepted the praise without an outward hint of emotion, but Haggar could tell that he was pleased by the compliment. "What are your orders?"

"Keep the family secured in the main house until just before sunrise," she instructed him. "No one is to leave the farm before then. At that time, you are to eliminate all evidence of our presence here, starting with the family. Leave nothing for anyone to find. I find fire to be a most effective form of removal. It will quickly spread among all the buildings. I will return with His Highness Prince Lotor at first light. Have the princess ready to board the ship."

"As you command," Ishmar said. "And what of the princess's companion?"

"Kill him when you kill the others," she told him. "I have no further use for him."

"It will be done."

"Then I will see you when I return, General," she said, nodding at him before moving past him onto the boarding ramp. To Coba, she spoke, "Come, pussy cat."

Coba meowed and trotted after her.

Haggar's smile returned.

((()))

"Come on, Princess. You have to eat something," Lance urged, but Allura remained curled up on her quilt.

The very idea of putting anything in her mouth made her want to vomit. She was sick to her stomach and felt nauseous. She didn't want to do anything except close her eyes and die.

Because if she was dead, she wouldn't have to marry Lotor.

She wouldn't have to think about him _touching_ her...

"You have to stay strong until Keith comes for you," Lance continued as he came back to sit next to her on the quilt. He had briefly left her side to eat some of the food that Stayden had brought. (Allura was sure it was fine to eat, but the smell of it only made her feel sicker.) He laid a hand on her back and gently ran it up and down. "Because you know he will, Allura. He _always_ does. All you need to do is hold on until then."

Fresh tears fell from her eyes at the mention of the man she loved. Despite Lance's assurances, she knew that she'd never see Keith again. She'd never have the chance to tell him how she felt... By the time he found what had happened, she'd be on Doom and married to that monster. (She had a feeling that Lotor would contact the castle to gloat about their marriage. And he would probably force her to stand beside him as proof. She could just imagine the looks of horror on everyone's faces. The look of despair on Keith's...) Her life would be over.

And to make matters even worse, once she was Lotor's wife, she would legally belong to him. Any attempt to take her from him would be seen as a direct attack against his father's throne. What she and her friends would know to be a rescue would be viewed by Doom as a kidnapping. The retaliation would be more horrible than anything the people of her world had yet seen. The current war was over territory and slaves which meant there was no desire to destroy the planet. But if Keith and the others tried to bring her home...

Arus would be wiped out.

She knew neither Keith nor Coran would allow that to happen. Of everyone, they understood that the survival of the Arusian people was more important than any one life. Even hers. They would be able to keep their emotions from dictating their actions no matter how painful the outcome would be. She trusted that they would protect Arus' future.

A future that would not have her in it.

Again, she hoped that she would die before the wedding was held. It would make things so much easier for everyone if she did.

Especially for Keith...

_I love you so much, Keith. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me._

Unable to stop herself, she started to cry all over again.

She felt herself being lifted up and found herself once again in Lance's arms.

"Hey, hey," he murmured as he held her tight. "Please don't cry anymore, sweetheart. You're going to get through this, I promise. It'll be tough, but you'll do it." He began to stroke her back. "You're stronger than you think you are, Allura. You just have to hold on until Keith finds you. He'll find you and he'll bring you home and then you can put this whole nightmare behind you. It may take a little while, but it'll happen. He _will_ come for you. Believe me."

Allura pressed her face against his chest and just let the tears flow.

"You just have to hold on," he repeated. "Hold on until Keith comes for you."

It was strange how Lance kept telling her that Keith was going to rescue them while he himself had made no attempt to find a way out of their prison. (He should know better than anyone what Keith would and would not do. It would be one thing if he learned what had happened to them before she was forced to marry Lotor, but he'd never find out in time. It would already be too late for her when he did. And he'd know that she was lost to Arus.) Lance was usually the one who took matters into his own hands. Sitting around and waiting for rescue wasn't like him. Why wasn't he even _trying_ to discover a way to escape? Did he perhaps know something that he wasn't sharing with her? Had Haggar said something to him while she was still unconscious that made him believe trying to escape was too risky even for him? (Dying while attempting to escape was still a more appealing fate than being Lotor's wife.)

"You're wrong," she told him when her tears had finally subsided enough that she could speak in a steady voice. "Keith won't be able to save me. He won't find out what's happened to me until it's too late. Haggar and Lotor made sure of that. It will be three days before anyone realizes that we're missing and I'll already be... Already be..." She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Just the thought of it made her nausea worsen. "Keith will know that he can't rescue me after _that._ He'll just accept that I'm lost. He won't come for me and I wouldn't want him to. For the sake of Arus, he'll stay away.

"Maybe I'll be dead by then," she added. "I want to be dead."

"Allura!"

Lance pulled her away from him and sternly held her gaze.

"Don't you dare ever say that again," he ordered her. "You can't die. You hear me? You are not allowed to die."

"Why not? It would solve so many problems," she countered. "Lotor-"

"Screw Lotor," he cut her off. "Do you have any idea what it would do to Keith if you died? It would _kill_ him, Princess. You die and it will be like he dies with you. You have to live, Allura. For both of you. Because Keith loves you.

"He's _in_ love with you."

Allura's eyes widened in shock at his words.

Keith _loved_ her? As in, he loved her the way she had always dreamed but never believed would become reality? Did he really? Was Lance speaking the truth or just telling her what he thought she needed to hear? And if it was true, how did he know? How _could_ he know? If Keith couldn't bring himself to say anything to _her_...

She broke out of his grasp and maneuvered herself into a sitting position.

"He..._loves_ me?" she carefully repeated, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. She couldn't risk giving herself away. Because if he was wrong and Keith _didn't_ feel the same way...

"Yeah," Lance confirmed. "The same way you love him."

She tried very hard not to show her shock at his casual assertion. How could he know? She had never told anyone, not even her father. It was her deepest and most cherished secret. How had Lance figured it out?

Suddenly the conversation back in the carriage began to make sense. Lance had been feeling her out, trying to gauge exactly how she felt towards Keith. It explained his emphasis on her marrying only for love. She hadn't given herself away as she'd feared. He'd somehow already _known_.

And if she knew about her, could he be right about Keith? Could Keith really and truly return her love?

But she couldn't let Lance know that he was right. Not when she had no way of knowing if what he said about Keith was the truth. (He could only be saying it because he knew how she felt about Keith and wanted to give her something to focus on other than their predicament. Maybe he thought if he kept her distracted with thoughts of her beloved that it would keep her from thinking about dying...) If she confessed her true feelings for Keith and then they escaped and it turned out that he _didn't_ love her...

"Of course I love him," she said as calmly as she could manage. "The same way I love you. And Pidge. And Hunk. And-"

"No," he cut her off. "You _love_ him."

There was something in his voice that made it clear he wasn't going to accept any more denials on her part. He _knew_ and nothing she could say would make him believe otherwise.

He had her trapped and they both knew it.

She looked away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Yes," she finally admitted in a quiet voice, new tears running down her cheeks. "Yes, I love him. I love him so much."

"Hey," he softly said, reaching out and wiping away her tears. "It's about time one of you said something. And it only took two years! Man, I thought neither of you _ever_ would!"

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood and she rewarded him with the tiniest of smiles.

"Promise me you'll tell Keith when he finds you," he quietly implored her as he took her hands and squeezed them, serious once more. "He needs to know."

She looked at him. "How can you be so sure he loves me? Has he...told you?"

"He didn't have to," Lance informed her. "I've known Keith a long time and I've only seen him like this once before. He was head over heels in love with..." He trailed off, releasing his hold on her hands. "He's never told you about Whitney, has he?"

Allura shook her head, incredibly curious about the one other woman who had won Keith's heart. (She was surprised to learn that there had only been one. Keith was so wonderful and kind and not to mention incredibly handsome. How had he _not_ been in more relationships? What woman wouldn't want to be with him?) "He doesn't talk much about his past with me."

"If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't talk about his past much with anybody," he let her know. "Don't take it personally. That's just the way Keith is. Very, very private. The only reason I know so much is because I was with him when those things happened. One of the perks that came with being his roommate. The Whitney disaster is one of those things."

"The Whitney disaster." A feeling of dread came over her at his casual pronouncement. Something terrible had clearly happened between Keith and this Whitney. What could it have been and how badly had she hurt him? (Allura knew that Keith couldn't have done anything wrong. He was too good and caring a person.)

"Tell me about Whitney," she asked, needing to know everything that had happened. Whitney was a part of Keith's past, which made it important for her to know.

"I don't know, Princess," Lance said. "It's not a pretty story. There are things in it that I'm not sure you'd be comfortable hearing. It ended really badly for him."

"Lance, please," she pressed. "It's very important for me to know. Please."

And it was. She had fallen in love with Keith because of who he was. And his past was a large part of that. She wanted to know everything about him.

He sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't say I didn't warn you, all right?"

She nodded.

"All right, here goes nothing," Lance began. "It all started when Keith met Whitney during our first year in the space explorer program at the GG academy. It was a Friday night in the middle of the first semester and I had once again had to bodily force Keith to leave the dorm for a little relaxation. If you think he's uptight now, that's nothing compared to what he was like in school. At least now he knows how to have fun. Well, on occasion anyway. But back then he was a lost cause. If it wasn't related to our studies, he didn't want to hear about it."

Allura had to smile at the description. It was so perfectly Keith. He was a very serious and focused person. (He did have a playful side, but it came out very rarely.) It was probably why he was such a strong leader. She couldn't imagine him being any other way.

"So anyway," Lance continued the story, "the two of us are sitting at a table in a club when all of a sudden this incredibly hot girl... Well, a not-as-incredibly-gorgeous-as-you hot girl," he quickly amended and Allura just shook her head, "comes over and, without even bothering to ask either of us for our permission, sits down next to Keith. Without so much as a 'hi' to me, she just starts talking to Keith. And _only_ Keith. It was as if I didn't even exist for her, which should have been the first sign that something was seriously not right with her. I mean, come on! How could anyone ignore a guy as gorgeous as me?"

Allura couldn't help but giggle, which Lance rewarded with a smile. She knew what he was doing and she had to admit that it was working. He was a natural storyteller and for a moment, she could allow herself to forget where they were and what was going to happen to her in the morning.

"As you probably can guess," he went on, "Keith was very uncomfortable from all the attention Whitney was giving him. He kept trying to excuse himself from the table, but she wasn't having any of it. I even tried to get her to leave by offering to dance with her, but she wasn't the slightest bit interested in me. Talk about a blow to the ego! As I was saying, Whitney only wanted Keith and as we later, unfortunately, learned, Whitney was used to getting exactly what she wanted. In the end, it was our curfew that saved him. So he politely took her number, which she insisted on giving him before she'd let him leave, and that, we thought, was the end of that.

"Boy, were we ever wrong!"

Allura was fascinated. So far, this Whitney didn't sound too bad. Pushy and aggressive, but not harmful. But Lance had said that it ended badly for Keith. What could have happened? What had Whitney done to him in the end?

"Two days later, when Keith hadn't called her, she shows up on campus and starts searching for him," he continued his narrative. "That should have been the second sign that she was bad news. I mean, girls were always swooning over Keith, but this was ridiculous! Eventually, she was directed to our dorm room and that, as the saying goes, was just the beginning. Now that she knew where he lived, there was no escaping her."

Allura's eyes widened in shock. Keith had not shown an interest in her, yet she had pursued him all the way to where he lived. What had she been thinking?

"Whitney turned into a borderline stalker after that," he told her. "With the exception of class and training, he couldn't go anywhere without her showing up. She constantly called him and sent him little gifts. I think after the initial shock wore off, Keith started to feel flattered by all the attention. And to be honest, what guy wouldn't? Here was a gorgeous woman, albeit a slightly nutty one, throwing herself at him. I wasn't surprised when he finally asked her out on a date after several weeks of her pursuing him."

Allura nodded in agreement. Whitney truly hadn't left Keith any other choice. It was go out with her or continue to be smothered by her unending attention. He had made the only decision he could.

"They really hit it off on the date and Keith found that he liked her a lot," Lance continued. "Things started calming down after that and the relationship became more normal. Whitney backed off slightly and let Keith take the lead. He was the one who was doing most of the calling now and he was sending _her_ gifts. They were going out every weekend and there was some sort of contact every day, even if it was a brief phone conversation between classes. It wasn't long before he was totally and completely in love with her."

For a moment, Allura allowed herself to wonder what it would be like if she and Keith were dating. Would he shower her with gifts and attention the way he had Whitney? Or would he be more subdued with her because she was a princess? In the end, it wouldn't matter to her which way he treated her. All that would matter was that he loved her.

And if Lance was right and he really did...

"Many months went by and everything seemed great," Lance continued. "I'd never seen Keith so happy. There was no question that he loved her deeply. He even told me that he was thinking about marrying her."

Allura knew that he had reached the part of the story where the relationship fell apart. Otherwise she was sure Whitney would have been Keith's wife...

"What happened?" she breathed, feeling nervous despite knowing that Keith came out all right.

Lance suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Oh, god, how can I put this? I'm not even sure that I _should_ be telling you this, but I think it's important that you hear it. You'll understand why after I finish this story. She...um... She...um... Oh, hell, I'm just going to come out and say it: she started pressuring him to have sex with her," he bluntly told her.

Allura felt her face turn bright red. Just hearing the word made her uncomfortable and embarrassed. Nanny had told her all about it when she had begun her monthly cycle at age twelve. It was a private act that was only supposed to take place between a husband and his wife and therefore it should never again be discussed until a woman was about to be married. And after that one time, it never _had_ been brought up again. With her refusal to take a suitor, marriage had never been imminent and without an impending marriage, there was no need to ever discuss what took place between a husband and wife. The little she knew was what Nanny had taught her all those years ago. (That and the few things she'd overheard the royal maids gossip about with each other on occasion. They'd made it sound so _wonderful_...)

Though she'd be lying if thoughts of it hadn't crossed her mind in recent years. Thoughts of experiencing it with the man she loved...

And thoughts of what would happen if she were ever married to Lotor...

Lance studied her face. "I did warn you, Allura. Do you think you'll be able to handle hearing it?"

She nodded. "You said I needed to. And, more than that, I need to know how she hurt him. Please, Lance, tell me."

She had to know what happened. Lance had made it very clear that Keith had been very much in love with Whitney. For their relationship to have ended...

"Okay," he said, continuing the story. "As I'm sure you very well know, Keith is a complete proper gentleman. He was raised to believe that a man doesn't sleep with a woman until they are married and he told Whitney in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't go to bed with her until they were. He hadn't proposed yet, but it was just expected that he was going to. They'd been together for nearly nine months by that time. He had even started looking at engagement rings."

_Oh, no,_ Allura thought, getting an idea of what may have happened. If Whitney had broken up with him over something as important to him as his morals...

"If you remember, I told you that Whitney was used to getting her way. She couldn't stand being told no. She tried every argument she could think of, including the ever popular 'but we're getting married anyway' one. But Keith refused to budge from his position. Waiting was important to him and he believed that if she truly loved him, she would respect that. For two weeks, she pushed and pushed for him to sleep with her and finally Whitney gave him an ultimatum: go to bed with her or she was leaving him. I think you can figure out what Keith did."

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to think. Keith had been very much in love with Whitney, but she had been asking him to violate his personal moral values in order to remain in a relationship with her. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make, but he had loved her so very much...

"Did he...?"

Lance nodded and Allura realized that as with everything else, Whitney hadn't really given him any other choice. He had been deeply in love with her and wouldn't have wanted to lose her. Knowing him as well as she did, she knew that he would have been willing to do almost anything to keep her with him. It was just the way he was.

"And the next morning, she turned around and informed him that it was over anyway."

"What?!" Allura gasped. "After what he had done for her? How? Why?"

She was completely shocked. Keith had sacrificed something very important to himself for her and that was how she'd repaid him? By leaving him? It was probably one of the coldest and cruelest things she had ever heard. (Although it was nothing compared to Doom's atrocities against Arus and every other innocent world Zarkon had targeted, Whitney had hurt Keith badly and that, in Allura's mind, was equally devastating.)

"It gets worse, Princess," Lance said. "It turns out their whole relationship was part of a sick game that Whitney was playing with her friends. Every year they choose a single cadet and Whitney had to get him to have sex with her. That year they picked Keith as her target."

Allura felt ill at the revelation.

"Keith was never quite the same afterwards," he continued. "He became more introverted than he already was and just buried himself in his studies and training. Getting him to do anything on weekends was impossible and he never went anywhere on breaks either. He just stayed on campus and studied. He pretty much remained the same way even after we officially became space explorers.

"He also never went out on another date again," Lance pointedly told her. "Sven and I were always trying to set him up with nice girls, but he refused to meet them. Whitney had hurt him so badly that for a long time he was afraid that any woman who showed an interest in him would do the same thing. He didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt again. He eventually got over what Whitney had done to him, but by that point, he was so caught up in being a space explore that nothing else mattered to him. His career became everything to him.

"Until he met you."

Allura's eyes widened as she realized he had just given her her answer.

"_That's_ how I know he really loves you, Allura," Lance stated with finality. "You did what no one else could and you did it without even trying. See why I wanted you to hear about Whitney? You two are meant for each other, sweetheart. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. So no more talk of dying before he comes to get you. You have to survive so he can rescue you and then the two of you can have your happily ever after. Have I made myself clear?"

Her eyes began to tear once more as she nodded at him, but this time they were tears of joy.

She couldn't believe it. Keith really _did_ love her. _He_ loved _her_! After all the time she had spent wondering how he felt, she finally knew the truth. He loved her!

She was about to open her mouth to thank him for everything he had told her when it occurred to her that Lance had never once said "us." Every time he spoke of rescue, it was of Keith coming for "you." Never "us," just "you."

"You keep saying 'you' and not 'us,'" she quietly spoke.

"What?"

"You've never said 'us,'" she repeated. "You keep saying that Keith is coming for me as if he'd only come to save me. He'd never do that, Lance. He'd never leave you behind. Why would you think that? It doesn't make any sense."

"Princess... I..." He looked down, not meeting her gaze.

She again wondered if Haggar had said something to him while she had been unconscious. It was the only explanation that made sense for his uncharacteristic behavior. What could she have possibly have said to him to convince him that escape or rescue wasn't possible?

"Whatever Haggar told you-"

"How much do you actually know about sex?"

"What?!"

Allura was shocked and mortified by the unexpected and highly inappropriate question. She was sure her entire body had turned red from embarrassment. Why would he ask her such a thing? And why now, of all times? Had he gone mad all of a sudden?

"We both know Keith isn't going to reach you in time to prevent Lotor from taking you to his bed," Lance bluntly told her and her embarrassment was quickly overtaken by nausea. "You heard what Haggar said. He's not going to wait until after you're married. He wants you pregnant with his child as soon as possible. So I ask you again, how much do you know about sex?"

"I know enough," she informed him, her stomach churning at the thought of Lotor seeing her naked. Of him _touching_ her... She shuddered. Her worst nightmare was coming true and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it.

Except die.

But that was something she could no longer do. Not after what Lance had told her. She had to live.

For _Keith._

"I'm not _that_ sheltered, Lance," she told him. "I was expected to marry and start having children at sixteen, remember? Why are you asking me this?"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about Lotor, Allura," he answered. "Things we purposely kept from you because we knew how upset you'd be if you ever learned about them. Things we hoped you'd never have to find out. But now... Now it'll be worse if I don't tell you about them."

Allura's fear began to rise. Her friends knew how terrified she was of Lotor already. If they had been keeping something from her because they knew it would frighten her even more...

"You know that we've freed a lot of slaves from Doom over the years," he continued. "We always make a point of debriefing as many of them as possible for the most up-to-date intel they can provide. We've spoken to a number of them who were either part of or stationed near Lotor's harem. And every single one of them said the same thing." He paused, taking a deep breath before reaching for her hands. His eyes never left hers. "Allura, Lotor purposely hurts his women.

"Badly."

Allura's nausea instantly intensified at his words and she wrenched her hands free of his to cover her mouth as she gasped. She was sure she was going to vomit at any moment.

_Oh my gods!_ she thought horrified. _Oh my gods!_

"He inflicts pain to heighten his own pleasure," Lance quietly told her. "He'll find any excuse to hurt them. He's particularly fond of telling the woman that she's done something to displease him so he can punish her. Other times he'll beat the woman for no reason other than he felt like it. It all depends on his mood."

Allura felt herself begin to shake, her eyes again filling with tears. Why was he telling her this? Why?

Never in her darkest nightmares had she ever imagined something this terrifying. She knew Lotor was violent-she had experienced his temper first-hand when she'd repeatedly refused his advances-but this was beyond anything she'd ever thought possible. With all his proclamations of love for her, she'd thought he'd be somewhat gentle with her. In her mind, it was being married to him and being thought of as his property that had always been the worst part. Now she knew how terribly wrong she'd been.

"Oh gods..." she breathed.

"Romelle has verified all of this," he softly added. "Keith and Coran made her swear to never tell you. She agreed that it was for the best that you never knew."

_Oh, Romelle!_

Her poor cousin who had been Lotor's prisoner for so many months before he had finally discarded her. She had always wondered why Romelle was so silent about her time on Doom. She had just assumed it was too painful a subject to discuss. Now she knew the truth.

"It gets worse," Lance let her know. "The beatings are just the beginning. He's also very brutal during intercourse. He's been known to make a woman bleed."

Her nausea spiked and she could taste the bile in her mouth.

She didn't want to hear any more. It was too awful. She wished he would stop.

She _needed_ him to stop.

"He has a preference for virgins because they experience the most pain," he continued. "A woman's first time is always painful. The initial entry into her body hurts her no matter who her partner is. Lotor has ways of maximizing that pain so that the woman suffers as much as possible."

"I-I don't want to hear any more," Allura finally managed to say. She hadn't known that fact about a woman's first time. Nanny had left that out all those years ago. She wished she still didn't know. "Please, Lance. Please."

"And," he went on despite her protest, "And, he calls every single one of his women by your name."

That last piece of information was too much for her and she began to retch.

But because she had not eaten since breakfast that morning, there was nothing in her stomach to come up and all she could do was dry-heave.

She felt Lance pull her back into his arms as she coughed and choked.

When she had finished, she began to sob.

Why, oh, why was he telling her all of these awful things? What purpose had there been in sharing with her the details of her own personal hell? She wished she could simply erase the unwanted knowledge from her mind. At least before he had told her anything she had been able to pretend that being bedded by Lotor would only be disgusting and uncomfortable. Now that she knew the truth she didn't know if she could survive it.

It would be better if she'd just die before she could be taken to Doom.

_I'm so sorry, my love,_ she silently sent to Keith. _I don't think I'm strong enough to hold on until you come for me. I wish I could have told you how I feel when I had the chance._

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Lance soothed as he held her close and stroked her back. "I'm so sorry. But you had to be told, Allura. It would have been wrong of me to keep any of this from you. You needed to know what's going to happen to you. Believe me, it would be so much worse for you if you didn't know what to expect. This way you'll be ready for it and it won't be a complete shock. This'll make it easier for you to get through, I promise."

She wanted to ask him how he thought knowing any of this would make the experience easier to get through when all it had done was confirm that her life as she knew it was over. She was Lotor's to do with as he pleased. She understood that Lance was trying to help and meant well, but he couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. He wasn't the one who was going to be married to an abusive monster.

"You just need to hold on until Keith comes for you," Lance told her again, unaware of the pain he was causing her. "He'll come for you and then you'll finally tell each other 'I love you' and then you can begin your life together. You just have to hold on until then."

Before he had told her about Lotor's sadistic tendencies, his words about reuniting with Keith would have brought her comfort. Now all they did was remind her that she'd never again see her love.

She just wanted to die despite knowing how much it would hurt Keith.

Anything to spare her the horror of what Lotor would do to her once he had her in his bedchamber.

Finally, her sobs began to subside, leaving her feeling sick and exhausted.

"I wish you hadn't told me," she murmured through her tears. "It would have been better if I didn't know."

"No," Lance disagreed, "that's where you're wrong, Allura. I know you don't believe me now, but when you're going through it, you'll see why it was better that you knew what was coming ahead of time. He won't be able to surprise you with anything he does. It'll take away some of his power over you. That's why he hurts his women. It's to make him feel powerful and you're not going to let him get away with it. You're not going to let him destroy you, Princess. You're so much stronger than you believe. You're just going to have to trust me on this."

She didn't have the strength to argue with him. She just wanted to curl up and die.

_I'm sorry, Keith._

A silence fell over them as Lance continued to hold her and rock her as she cried.

Despite everything he'd told her, she appreciated having him with her more than she could say. If Keith hadn't insisted she'd take an escort...

"Allura," Lance softly spoke after what seemed like an eternity. He ceased his rocking motion as well as his stroking of her back. "I was thinking. There's one thing I could do for you that would make...you know...easier for you. That is, if you'd let me."

She looked up at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"I could be your first."

She stared at him in shock, unsure of how to respond or react.

"I know I'm not who you want," he continued. "I know you've never even thought of me that way. But Keith isn't here and I am. Your first time should be special and wonderful and memorable. It shouldn't be a...a torture session. I can give you the experience you deserve, Allura, if you'll let me. I can make you feel the way you're supposed to. I would never purposely hurt you."

"Lance, I..."

Allura was stunned. What Lance was offering to do for her...

It had always been her secret hope that when she did make love, as she'd heard that it was called, for the first time that it would be with Keith. She'd never truly believed that it would happen, especially when she wasn't sure how he felt about her, but in her mind, he was the only one she'd ever want to share it with. She would never love anyone the way she did him. He was everything to her. It was why she'd never marry anyone but him. But now that possibility had been taken away from her and she would never see Keith again.

But Lance... Lance, who she _did_ love but in a different way and who she knew loved her in return, was offering to take what should have been Keith's place.

She knew he would never do any of the things to her that Lotor would. He was a good man, an honorable man. A man she was proud to think of as a member of her family. He had already proved numerous times today alone how much he cared for her. This proposal was just one more piece of proof. If she allowed him to make love to her, she knew it _would_ be wonderful.

But he wasn't Keith...

"It's all right if you want to say no, Princess," he gently told her. "I won't be insulted. I just thought-"

"It's going to hurt?" she cut him off, her nervousness growing as she made the only decision that she could. If it was inevitable that she was going to lose her virginity, then she'd rather give it to someone who cared about her.

"Only for a moment," he let her know, bringing a hand to her cheek. "And then it fades and it's quickly forgotten. I promise."

"Then, yes," she said, accepting his offer. "Yes. Make love to me, Lance."

"No," he softly told her, shaking his head. "What we're about to do isn't making love. This is just sex. The first time you're with Keith... You'll know the difference."

"I don't understand."

"You will," he promised and it saddened her that she never would.

Keith was lost to her despite what Lance believed. She would never be with the man she loved again.

He used his thumb to stroke her face, his eyes searching hers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," she told him. She was afraid of what was about to happen, but determined to go through with it. If she couldn't be with Keith... "I don't want Lotor to be the one to first touch me."

"All right," he accepted, "but are you ready?"

"No," she honestly admitted in a whisper.

She had no idea what to expect. Her knowledge of sex was so limited. And now that she knew there was pain involved...

He gave her a knowing smile. "Everyone is nervous about their first time."

"Even you?" It was hard to imagine Lance being nervous about anything.

"Even me," he assured her. "But the woman I was with showed me that there was nothing to be nervous about. She was very patient and gentle with me. And now it's my turn to do the same for you." He slid his hand down her face and lightly took hold of her chin. "Now close your eyes, sweetheart."

She did as she was told, feeling her body begin to tremble and her heart speeding up, and she felt him gently tilt her face upwards.

And then he kissed her.

Allura started when his lips pressed against hers, but after a moment she began to relax as strange sensations started to form in her body.

Sensations she had never before experienced...

Her fears and doubts began to melt away as she found herself responding and tentatively returning the kiss.

Lance ended the kiss and pulled slightly back from her.

"Are you all right?" he quietly asked her as she opened her eyes.

Overwhelmed by what she was feeling, she only nodded.

He smiled again and ran his thumb across her lips.

"Not bad for a first kiss, huh?"

"I've never... It was..." She tried to speak but found herself at a complete loss for words.

"Amazing" was probably the most apt description for what she had just experienced.

He leaned in and gave her another kiss, this one light and quick.

"We need to stand up now," he told her, releasing his hold on her.

"O-okay," she said, rising to her feet.

She swallowed as he removed his ever-present leather jacket before standing up to tower over her.

He moved closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You still have time to back out if you don't want to go through with this," he told her. "You need to understand that there's going to be a point where we're not going to be able to stop. So I'm going to ask you again before we go any further. Are you sure want this, Allura?"

"Yes," she told him again, her emotions swirling. She was afraid, but she would not back down.

She _couldn't._

"I'm sure."

"All right."

And then he started to kiss her again.

This new kiss felt completely different from the others. It was more powerful and intense.

The sensations came back much, much stronger than before and they were centered in a part of her body that she had always shied away from exploring even in her most curious moments. (Just thinking about touching herself there had always made her turn red. She had tried once or twice while fantasizing about Keith, but her embarrassment had stopped her before she'd gone very far.) She didn't understand what was happening to her.

She was barely aware of Lance's hands as they slid down her arms and made their way on to her back. He pressed her close against his body.

Finally, after what seemed like it had been forever, he released her.

She could barely catch her breath as she looked up at him in wonder. What he was doing to her...

Would it have been like this with Keith?

"You still okay?" he asked in a murmur.

Again, she could only nod.

"You need to take off your dress," he instructed her. "Do you want me to do it for you or can you get it yourself?"

Her nervousness escalated at the thought of being seen naked. Until this moment, only Nanny had seen her without any clothes on. (She was sure her mother had as well, but she had been so young when she'd lost her that she didn't remember very much about her at all.) Again, it had been her secret hope that Keith would be the only man to view her body.

"I-I'll do it," she managed to say, her heart thudding in her chest.

She stepped back from him and, turning around to give herself the momentary illusion of privacy, she worked the dress over her head, leaving herself wearing nothing but her bra and underpants. She then removed her tiara and placed it on top of her dress. Slipping out of her shoes, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to face him.

Lance had taken off his shirt and boots while she had been busy with her own clothes. Although she'd seen him shirtless before (she'd seen _all_ of the boys topless on many occasions, mostly when they went swimming), it was the first time she had really noticed how lean and muscular he was. He truly had a beautiful body.

He looked her up and down as she returned to stand near him.

"Pink?" he commented with an arched eyebrow at the color of her undergarments.

"What's wrong with that?" she wanted to know. Pink had always been her favorite color from the time she was a little girl. To her, it was the color of love and happiness. (She had become extremely fond of blue in the past two years as well. Especially any blue that matched the shade of Keith's eyes...)

"Nothing at all, Princess," Lance assured her with a smile. "I was just making an observation. It suits you."

He moved closer to her and placed a hand on her bare skin, causing her to suck in her breath.

Suddenly, the reality of what was about to happen slammed into her and she found her nervousness and fear escalating once again. Lance was going to see her. _All_ of her. And _touch_ her. And she was going to see _him._ She felt overwhelmed and scared and her breathing and heartbeat began to quicken.

"Allura, you have to relax or this isn't going to work," he told her, removing his hand from her back and stepping slightly away from her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I do want to do this, but..."

"I understand," he let her know. "Believe me. I do. I'm not the one you're in love with."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"You don't have to apologize, sweetheart," he assured her. "Maybe this was a bad-"

"No!" she insisted, tears beginning to fall once again. "Please! I can't have Lotor be my first time! I can't!"

As afraid as she was of being with Lance, she knew in her heart of hearts that it would be a wonderful experience. Although he hadn't come right out and said it, she knew that he had to be a skilled lover. Just the way he had _kissed_ her...

Lotor, on the other hand, was a sadistic monster. If she didn't do this with Lance and the gods didn't grant her wish of death before Lotor got his hands on her...

"All right, Allura, all right," Lance said, coming back to her and pulling her into his arms. "We'll make this work. I promise."

"I'm sorry I'm making this so difficult," she quietly apologized. "You must be so annoyed with me."

"Never, Princess," he assured her. "I understand how hard this is for you. You're not my first 'first time', you know."

She looked up at him. "And were they all as afraid as I am?"

"Umm... They were all nervous," he admitted. "But it was different with them. It was their choice to go to bed with me. You're only going to be with me because the alternative is much worse."

His words made her feel awful. She was being terribly unfair to him in so many ways. She was amazed he was still willing to go through this with her despite her reluctance. He truly was a good man.

"I think I have an idea that's going to make this go a lot easier for you," he said. "I want you to go lay down and close your eyes."

"All-all right," she agreed and she went to do as she was told.

She laid down on the quilt and closed her eyes as instructed. Her chest heaved with every shuddering breath she took. What was Lance planning on doing?

A moment later she heard him come to lay beside her.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked her.

She nodded.

"Good. Now, I want you to imagine that you're back in your bedroom at the castle," he said. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you're laying in your bed and you're waiting for Keith to come and join you."

Her pulse quickened at the thought of Keith.

"From this moment on, every touch and every kiss you feel is being given to you by Keith," he continued. "_Everything_ you feel. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she nodded again.

She was no stranger to fantasizing about Keith. She had sometimes pretended that caresses she had given herself had come from him. Caresses that had only gone so far before she became too embarrassed to continue...

"Good."

Suddenly, fingers began to lightly caress her cheek and in her mind she saw Keith laying next to her, his hand on her face.

She smiled at the image and the sensations that accompanied it in real life.

Then she felt another hand running down the side of her body, causing her to shiver, and again in her mind she visualized that it was Keith touching her.

"Keith..." she murmured contentedly, reinforcing the illusion.

The sensations she were experiencing were so nice that it was easy to forget who she was really with. She allowed her fantasy to become her reality, which in the back of her suddenly hazy mind she knew was what Lance wanted to happen.

And then she was being kissed again.

There was no hesitation this time as she eagerly returned the kiss and she quickly became lost in it.

_Keith!_ she thought happily, having completely convinced herself that she was with her love.

She felt him pull her body against his as they kissed and the full contact introduced even more new feelings and sensations to her. Most were nice but some were...strange.

Like the pressure beginning to build deep within her.

She didn't understand what was causing it or what it meant. Was it normal? But she didn't want to break the kiss to ask.

The wonderful kissing continued and his hands were all over her.

All too soon, the kiss came to an end, leaving her breathing hard and craving more.

He released his hold on her and she was placed on her back once more.

"Keith..." she breathed, not wanting him to leave her.

And then she was being kissed again, but this time, his lips did not stay pressed against hers. They strayed from her mouth and moved onto her chin and along the side of her face.

And then he was sucking on her earlobe.

_That_ sent a bolt of electricity straight through her body to the place where the pressure was.

She gasped at the sensation.

It was... It was...

Before her mind could even give it a description, his mouth was moving again. It was traveling down her neck, onto her shoulders...

To her _chest._

When the kisses reached her breasts, they stopped. Almost immediately, hands were sliding around her sides and on to her back to unfasten her bra. When it was pulled from her body, the kisses resumed.

She gasped and moaned as her breasts were lavished with kisses and sucks. Again, her mind couldn't focus enough to describe what she was feeling.

When the treatment of her breasts came to an end, the kisses continued traveling further down her body.

"Oh, Keith..." she breathed when he reached her belly.

And then he was at the waist of her underpants and she knew that the next step was for him to remove them.

Her nervousness returned though not as strongly as before. What had already been done to her...

"Are you ready, Allura?" he spoke and through her mental fog, she recognized that it wasn't Keith's voice but ignored that fact. Who else but her beloved could be bringing her this pleasure?

"Yes."

Almost as soon as her confirmation had been spoken, her underpants were being slid down her body.

Her nervousness slightly increased, but still remained weaker than it had been. She felt safe and loved. The experience so far had been absolutely amazing...

She felt her last piece of clothing completely pulled off of her and then her legs were being slid apart.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized that the time had come for him to enter her for the first time and take her virginity.

It was both scary and exciting at the same time. She feared the pain but was curious about what it would feel like for him to be inside of her.

But to her surprise, he did not move over her to get into position. Instead, she felt his hands begin to explore her most intimate parts, which sent waves of exquisite pleasure through her body.

She kept her eyes tightly closed as she had been told though there was a small part of her that wanted to see what was happening.

Fingers were lightly slid over her and she felt herself being spread apart and exposed.

Again, her breath caught. What was going to happen?

Each touch increased the pressure within her. She feared what would happen when it reached the point that she couldn't take any more.

And then she felt the first finger push into her.

She cried out at the sensation.

"Oh, gods!"

She had never felt anything like it. It was... It was...

Another followed and she called out the name of the only person who could be bringing her this pleasure.

"Keith!"

She bucked and writhed under his touch as he did things to her that she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams. It felt so wonderful...

The pressure continued to build and she knew that it would soon burst.

Yet she no longer feared it. She _longed_ for it. Her instincts told her that that was what was supposed to happen.

And then it exploded and she was lost in an exquisite maelstrom of ecstasy...

((()))

Lance smiled at the awed expression on Allura's face as she came down from her first orgasm. He'd been with many women over the years, but never before had he felt so proud of his ability to pleasure a woman. Getting the princess to allow him to touch her had been a challenge (this was probably the first and only time he wouldn't mind being repeatedly called another man's name), but it had been worth it to see her enjoy herself.

And he was not finished with her yet. He still had to join with her. But the manual stimulation had been a necessary part of the process. Not only had it had allowed him to feel how tight she was and determine her state of readiness, but it gave her the chance to get used to the feeling of something being inside of her. (Because she had been given such a sheltered upbringing, he had a feeling she had not masturbated like a normal young woman would have.)

First entry would not be easy or pleasant for her. But at least he wouldn't purposely hurt her like that bastard Lotor would.

Allura stilled beneath him and he removed his fingers from within her. While she calmed her breathing, he quickly slipped out of his remaining clothes and moved so that he was stretched over her, his weight supported above her by his elbows.

He was so very ready for her and he ignored the twinges caused by each light brush against her body.

"Open your eyes, Allura," he softly ordered her.

Her eyes fluttered open and it took her a moment to focus them on his face. There was a brief expression of surprise as she remembered who she was really with but then she gave him a tiny smile.

"Lance..." she breathed. "What was... What just..."

"You just had your first orgasm," he informed her. "That's the goal you should always reach for when you have sex. Pretty nice, wasn't it?"

"It was... It was..." She trailed off and he smiled as she was again at a loss for words.

She had truly enjoyed herself.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Let me know when you're ready to continue."

He thanked his lucky stars for his self-control and patience. He preferred his sex to be fast and intense (he'd even had a few experiences with light bondage), but that would have been the wrong approach for the innocent princess. She needed her partner to be slow and gentle and controlled and that was exactly what he was giving her.

Lotor would not have given her the same courtesy.

"I'm ready," she said. "But first I want you to answer my question."

"Afterwards," he insisted. The entire reason he had brought up sex in the first place was to avoid telling her the truth: that he was going to be executed sometime tomorrow, possibly before they left Arus. The last thing he wanted to do was burden Allura with that knowledge. He would keep it from her as long as he could. "I promise. Now put your hands on my back."

"All right," she accepted as she did as she was told. "But you can't forget you promised."

"I won't," he assured her, dreading her reaction. It had taken him so long to calm her down before. Knowing that he was going to be killed would upset her all over again.

He began to kiss her once more and she immediately began to respond. She was a quicker learner and already kissed as well as some of the most experienced women he had been with. (He hoped Keith realized how lucky he was to have won the heart of this incredible woman.)

Shifting his weight to his left elbow, he reached down with his right hand to position himself at her entrance. Keeping her distracted with the kiss, he pushed slightly into her.

Allura gasped against his mouth and her fingers dug into his skin, but he wouldn't let her pull away.

He pushed again and he realized that she was tighter than he had thought.

She cried out at the next push, breaking the kiss. Tears were clearly in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he apologized. "It won't be much longer. I'm almost there."

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, Princess. I know."

He pushed twice more, pausing for a moment between them, and then he felt that he'd reached her barrier.

"This is it, sweetheart," he told her. "Brace yourself."

And then kissing her again, he plunged one final time and fully enveloped himself inside of her.

Her cry of pain was muffled by the kiss.

"You did it, sweetheart," he told her. "You did it. Congratulations, you're a woman now."

The quip had its intended effect and she weakly smiled.

"The pain will pass in a minute," he promised her. "And then it'll be time for the good part."

He watched her face as he waited for the pain to leave her. When her expression relaxed and again became one of wonder, he knew it was time to continue.

He was very close to coming himself, but he would not rush her to satisfy his own needs. This was all about her. His own pleasure was secondary to hers.

Without a word, he began to move.

She gasped, clearly surprised by what she was feeling.

He continued to watch her face as he thrust in and out of her. She wore an expression of pure ecstasy.

He easily established a rhythm and her body responded accordingly, her natural instincts guiding her.

Her gasps and moans were like music to his ears. To him, they meant that he was succeeding in what he had set out to do, which was to give her a first sexual experience that she deserved. He may not be the man she loved, but he'd be damned if she didn't enjoy herself.

Finally, she came for the second time and she wordlessly cried out her pleasure.

He thrusted twice more and then followed her over the edge.

Spent, he collapsed on top of her and then quickly moved so that he was laying on his side next to her.

For a few moments, they laid in silence, the only sound their heavy breathing.

"Allura," he finally said and she turned to him, the wonder and amazement still in her eyes. He reached out and touched her face. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said softly. "Lance, I..."

"You don't have to thank me, sweetheart," he told her, caressing her cheek. "It was my honor to be your first. I hope I was worthy of it."

For the first time, he felt a small twinge of guilt for taking something that should have belonged to Keith. But that had changed the moment they had been captured by Haggar. And he knew this had been the right thing to do. If Lotor had been Allura's first, she would have been scarred for life. At least now she knew what sex was supposed to be like and when she and Keith were reunited...

He was glad he had been able to do this one last service for his princess before his execution. As he had told her, it had been his honor.

"I never knew it was supposed to be like that," she told him, awe in her voice.

"Just wait until you're with Keith for the first time," he said. "This will pale in comparison."

Her face inexplicably saddened at that.

"What is it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You promised you'd answer my question now."

"Let's get dressed first," he suggested, again trying to delay having to tell her the truth.

She shook her head again. "No. No more avoiding answering me. You'll tell me now."

Seeing that he no longer had a choice, he did.

And her reaction was everything he had feared it would be.

((()))

_Keith was in a dark place. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there and he couldn't see anything. The world around him was pitch black._

_Suddenly, there was brightness in front of him and in the center of the light..._

_"Allura," he breathed._

_She was laying on the ground, curled in on herself and crying._

_He took a step towards her and she began to fade from view._

_"Allura! No!" he cried. "Come back!"_

_He stayed still and she reappeared. When he tried to move towards her a second time, she again began to vanish and he instantly froze in place._

_What was going on? Why wasn't he being allowed to reach Allura? Was she actually there or was he just seeing an illusion? Why was she crying? What was happening to her?_

_"My daughter is in great danger," came a voice from behind him._

_Keith whirled around to see the ghostly form of King Alfor materialize._

_"You must save her. You are the only one who can."_

_"I'll do anything for her," he swore. "Just tell me where she is."_

_"You are the only one who can save her," Alfor repeated. "Find her."_

_Keith didn't understand. Alfor knew she was in danger, but he didn't know where she was? Didn't a spirit know everything?_

_"Find her. Save her," Alfor said again. "You are the only one who can."_

_And with those words, Alfor began to fade from view._

_"Your Highness, wait!" Keith called after him. "You need to tell me where she is! I can't find her unless you tell me where!"_

_Alfor did not respond and completely disappeared from view._

_"Come back!" Keith begged. "Please!"_

_Motion behind him attracted his attention and he turned around in time to see the light where he had seen Allura go out, plunging him again into total darkness..._

Keith bolted upright in his bed, his heart racing and his breathing erratic.

He placed a hand over his thudding heart as he tried to slow down his breathing.

A dream! It had been a dream! But it had seemed so real...

He was sure it had been brought on by his intense worry for Allura. Something terrible had happened to her, he knew it.

After the conference had, much to his surprise, concluded in one day, he had gone to the control room to scan for signs of Allura's carriage. To his horror, he hadn't been able to find a trace of it. And neither had Pidge when he'd asked him to check behind him with some of the more powerful satellite arrays he had developed. It made no sense and it frightened him. Where was she? And was Lance keeping her safe like he was supposed to?

A number of terrifying scenarios had come to mind, all of them ending with either Allura's death or her marriage to Lotor. He prayed with ever fiber of his being that he was wrong and there was an innocent explanation for the disappearance of the carriage.

But after this dream...

He was going to have to go searching in Black for Allura himself. If all was well and he found her in Jancia enjoying herself at the festival, he would lie to her and just tell her he was keeping his promise. But if she wasn't...

He looked over at his bedside clock. It was a little after four.

Realizing he'd never fall back to sleep after such a disturbing dream, he decided to get up for the day.

He had a lot of work to do before he could start his search.

((()))

The sound of the door of their makeshift prison opening pulled Lance from the light doze into which he'd fallen.

_Shit,_ he silently cursed at the realization that their time had finally run out.

He looked down to where Allura lay curled up beside him in a deep sleep. She looked deceptively peaceful. If he hadn't known that she'd cried herself to sleep, he would have never been able to tell. He hated to have to wake her, but it would be worse for her if she woke up alone on a ship headed for Doom. At least this way they'd have a chance to say goodbye. (He had a feeling they were going to be separated fairly quickly.)

"Hey, Princess," he spoke in a low voice, gently shaking her shoulder. "Hey. It's time to wake up, Allura."

Allura made a groaning sound and curled up into a tighter ball.

He shook her shoulder again, a little more forcefully this time. "You need to get up, sweetheart. Come on. Wake up."

He briefly returned his attention to the rising door. It was nearing the halfway point. They didn't have long before Haggar, Lotor, and their robot henchmen would be coming in to drag poor Allura away.

He hoped they'd at least wait until she was out of hearing range before killing him.

Lance was also not the least bit surprised to see that daylight wasn't pouring in through the opening. He was sure that once Haggar had told Lotor about who was waiting for him on Arus, he probably hadn't been able to get on a ship fast enough. He should have known that a morning arrival would have been too much to hope for.

Turning back to Allura, he gave her shoulder another shake. "Allura, we're about to have company. You need to wake up _now._"

Allura's eyes flew open with a gasp.

"I-is...?" she tried to ask as she rose to a seated position, her voice shaking.

"I'm sure he is," he told her. Knowing Lotor, he'd want to personally oversee Allura's boarding onto his ship. He wouldn't trust anyone else with such an important job.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "No... Oh, no..."

He pulled her into his arms for what he knew would be the final time.

"You're going to get through this, Allura," he told her again as she cried. He knew he was sounding like a broken record, but the repetition was the only way to hammer the truth into her head. She still didn't believe Keith would come to save her despite now knowing how he felt about her. At least she wasn't talking about wanting to die anymore... "I promise you. You just have to hold on for a little while until Keith comes for you. He's going to come and rescue you and then the two of you are going to spend the rest of your lives together." He kissed the top of her head. "I don't care what the law says, the two of you are going to get married and have lots of kids. Lots and lots of kids. That reminds me. Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything," she sniffled.

"Name at least one of your kids after me."

It had been intended to make her smile, but instead it had the opposite effect and made her cry harder.

"I don't want you to die!" she wailed. "I love you, Lance! I can't lose you! Not you too! I've lost too many people I love already!"

"Easy, Allura, easy," he said in a soothing tone as he rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her down. The last thing she needed was for Lotor to find her in this worked up state. Lance didn't even want to imagine the kind of reaction it would elicit from the sadistic bastard. (It would probably turn the sick son of a bitch on.) She needed to regain control before he arrived.

He glanced again at the door, which was now almost completely raised. He could already see the silhouettes of their captors waiting to come in. Their time was nearly up.

"Allura, I need you to calm down right now," he told her in a kind but firm voice. "They're almost here and there are some things I need to say to you while I still have a chance."

She immediately quieted and looked up with him, her eyes wet and red.

He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Princess, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve you and your planet for these last two years. Being a member of the Voltron Force has been the greatest experience of my life. It's truly every space explorer's dream come true. I've done more good here on your world than on all of my previous missions combined. Thank you, Allura, for allowing me to be a part of it."

Allura's eyes widened and she started to shake her head as she recognized the goodbye for what it was.

"No, Lance..." More tears streamed from her eyes. "No..."

"I love you, sweetheart," he told her as he saw a group of robots enter into the shed.

Surprisingly, neither Lotor nor Haggar were with them, which wasn't like either of them. They liked to gloat and rub in their victories. Why were they waiting outside?

"Get up, humans," the lead robot ordered as the group reached and surrounded them, their rifles trained on them. "On your feet."

"Come on, Allura," he quietly urged her. He gave her cheek a final gentle touch before helping her to stand.

"No...no...no..." she whimpered as the same robot gestured with its rifle.

"Outside," it ordered.

Lance suddenly got a very bad feeling. This was not at all how he had envisioned Lotor's claiming of Allura. Why wasn't Lotor in here ensuring the proper handling of his "bride"? It wasn't like him to not be hovering over her. What was going on?

Holding Allura tightly against him, he walked the two of them across the floor to the door and then through it.

And as soon as he was outside and saw Stayden and several others, including crying children, being held at gunpoint, he _knew._

"Allura," he said as calmly as he could manage, not wanting to set her off again, "when I tell you to, I want you to close your eyes and keep them shut. Don't open them again until you're sure you've been boarded onto a ship. You aren't to open them before under any circumstances. Do you understand me?"

She looked up at him, her expression both frightened and confused.

"I said, do you understand me, Princess?"

She nodded mutely.

She was then roughly pulled away from him by an unfamiliar Drule officer.

"No! Let me go!" Allura protested at the separation, struggling against the Drule's grasp.

"Put him with the others," the officer instructed the lead robot.

"No!" she cried as the robot pressed its rifle into his back and pushed him towards the gathered group. "Lance!"

"Close your eyes now, Allura."

"No!"

"Princess, _please,_" he urged her, not wanting to tell her the reason why he was asking her to do this. The last thing she needed to know was that the Drules were about to tie up all of their loose ends. They didn't want to leave anyone who could even accidentally mention what had happened here. That meant that _everyone_ had to be eliminated.

Including the children.

"No!" she refused, fighting against the officer's grip.

The officer, clearly annoyed at the struggling woman, tried to hand her off to the nearest robot, but Allura kicked out and hit the robot squarely in the chest, knocking it down to the ground.

_Attagirl, Princess!_ Lance silently cheered, relieved to see that she hadn't given up completely.

"Tell me what's going on, Lance!" she wanted to know as she continued to fight against the officer's secure hold on her.

"Just close your eyes, Allura," he told her as the robot she had knocked down got up. He noticed the machine seemed a little unsteady and he inwardly smiled at the fact that she had caused it damage.

"No," she continued to refuse and he silently cursed her stubbornness.

He reached the others and he met Stayden's frightened eyes. To his surprise, he found that he did not feel the urge to say something nasty to the man. Although he deserved to die for what he had done to Allura, his family, especially the children, was innocent. But their fates had been sealed from the moment Haggar had spotted them. There had been no escaping this death sentence.

"Robots," the officer called out, "line up the prisoners."

"No!" Allura screamed as she finally realized what was happening. "Lance! No!"

"The princess doesn't need to see this!" he shouted at the officer as he and the others were arranged into a straight line at gunpoint, the women and children wailing. "Don't make her watch!"

The officer smiled evilly. "Our future queen needs to witness how Doom deals with its enemies."

"Oh my gods! No! No!" Allura continued to scream.

"Allura! Allura!" Lance called to draw her attention. When she met his eyes, he said, "Keep your eyes on mine."

Sobbing, she nodded.

"Take aim," the officer ordered.

"Don't look away, sweetheart," he commanded.

"Never," she promised through her tears.

"Fire!"

There was a sudden intense pain in his chest and his vision began to darken.

The last sound Lance heard before everything went black was Allura's scream.

((()))

Lotor impatiently drummed his fingers against the arm of his command chair. While he was ecstatic to have an excuse to visit Arus (his father's inexplicable ban on attacking the troublesome world had made attempting to acquire his beloved Allura impossible), he just wanted to get Haggar's "special surprise" over with. Why she had suddenly decided to be secretive instead of her usual boastful self was beyond him. He was sure this had to do with yet another Robeast. (Maybe he'd get lucky and _this_ one would succeed where all of her others had failed, but he sincerely doubted it.)

"My prince will be very pleased with what I have to show him," Haggar smugly said as she approached him, her cat in her arms as usual.

"I'd better be," he informed her. "I don't like to have my time wasted, old witch."

Not that he ever felt that a trip to Arus was a waste of time. Just to be on the same world as his bride-to-be...

"I assure you, my prince, you will soon be _thanking_ me."

Lotor raised an eyebrow. "Will I?"

It was a highly presumptuous thing for her to say. Haggar had never lacked in confidence in her own abilities, but this was far beyond her normal boasting. She clearly believed this Robeast to be infallible.

_I'll have to see it to believe it,_ he snorted to himself.

The witch simply smiled in response to his question and continued to stroke that annoying cat of hers.

He turned his attention back to the ship's viewscreen just in time to see their entry into Arus' atmosphere. (It still amazed him that after so many years of war, a ship could easily enter their airspace and land without detection. It was more proof of the Arusians' inherent weakness. They truly lacked the ability to be anything more than slaves. How such a world had produced Allura he would never know.)

"Approaching landing coordinates," one of the robot pilots announced moments later.

Lotor did not recognize the landscape spread before him. This was not a part of Arus he had visited before. He wondered how far it was from the Castle of Lions.

"Where are you bringing me, hag?" he demanded to know.

"Nowhere of consequence, Your Highness," Haggar waved him off as she put her cat down on the deck. "It is not the place but who awaits you there that matters."

_Who awaits you there._

It was the last thing he had expected to hear. Haggar had never referred to any of her Robeasts as anything more than a creature designed to do Doom's bidding. Did this mean she wasn't bringing him to see a Robeast after all? And, if not, what was he going to see?

"And who is that?" he pressed her.

The witch again simply smiled, her cat sitting obediently at her feet. "Patience, my prince."

Lotor groaned in frustration over her refusal to tell him anything. She was lucky that Father valued her services. He had killed slaves for less.

Disgusted, he returned his attention to the viewscreen. The ship was now skimming over a forest. In the distance, the land was flat and devoid of trees.

_Farmland,_ he identified it.

And then he noticed the column of smoke directly in their path.

Something large was on fire. He wondered if it was related to Haggar's "surprise."

"Ah, General Ishmar follows orders well," Haggar remarked as if in answer to his unspoken question. She sounded highly pleased.

Ishmar, one of Father's current favorites, was here? Obeying the witch's orders? Did that mean-?

Lotor leapt from his chair and angrily strode over to the witch.

"Did my father arrange this?" he accused her as the cat hissed at him and ran away. "Is he trying to dispose of me? Tell me!"

It was no secret that Father had been highly disappointed in him in recent months. Although there had been rare moments of praise, most of their interactions had consisted of Zarkon blaming him personally for every failure to defeat Voltron and conquer Arus. (As if he himself did not share in any of the responsibility. It was _his_ witch that was creating all of the incompetent Robeasts.) It would be unsurprising if his father had in fact tasked Haggar with getting rid of him. (Not that she'd succeed, of course. He would not be so easily killed.) Like him, Father did not tolerate failure.

If that was the case, the method in which it was being attempted was actually quite brilliant. Father was conveniently away to meet with some of his governors. If anything were to happen to him, say dying on Arus when he shouldn't have been there at all, Father would be blameless.

"King Zarkon merely granted me permission to enact my plans," Haggar coolly replied, unfazed by his fury. "Everything that has transpired here on Arus has been my doing and mine alone. The king only knows what I allow him to know. I have arranged this for _you,_ my prince. And as I have said, you _will_ be pleased."

Lotor backed away from her, his anger fading and quickly being replaced by curiosity. It seemed that the old witch was for some reason again trying to gain his favor, which was not an unusual occurrence. She had been playing him and his father against each other for years now. She switched sides as easily as a snake shed its skin. Whichever one of them served her current purposes was the one that received her support. And today, it appeared to be him. (He wondered what Father had done this time.)

He felt the ship halt its forward movement and turned to the viewscreen to see it begin its descent to the forest floor. They were not far from the black smoke, which was rising just beyond the trees.

On the ground, a small party awaited their arrival. From what he could tell, it consisted of mostly robots. Ishmar stood in front. And in his arms...

Lotor's eyes widened as he took in the unconscious woman being held by Ishmar.

"It can't be," he murmured as he turned to look at Haggar, who once again simply answered with a smile.

"Lower the ramp!" he commanded as he raced off of the bridge. He ran through the ship and bounded down the ramp, not stopping until he was standing directly in front of Ishmar and the woman.

"Allura," he breathed, recognizing his beloved at once.

Even unconscious, there wasn't a woman in the universe that was more beautiful than she was. Allura was the living embodiment of feminine perfection.

And she was finally his.

And it appeared he owed it all to Haggar.

How had the old witch done this? Allura never went anywhere without at least one of the space explorers at her side. How had Haggar finally succeeded where before the both of them had always failed? And how long would it be before Allura's absence was noticed?

Which brought him to the more important question of why. What Haggar had done went far beyond simply currying his favor. She had given him his deepest desire. It stood to reason that she wanted something from him, but what? What could she possibly equate with his unending love for Allura?

Deciding the answers to his questions could be dealt with later, he reached out to take his beloved from the general's arms.

But before she could be passed to him, Haggar interrupted the transfer.

"General, bring the princess onto the ship and take her to the living quarters," she ordered as she emerged from the ship, her cat again at her feet. "Have some of the servants clean her up. I will be along shortly to supervise. But first the prince and I must speak in private."

"As you command," Ishmar immediately accepted his orders. "Robots! With me!"

With that, he inclined his head first towards Lotor and then the witch, before moving past them to board the ship. The robots obediently followed after him.

Lotor turned to stare at the witch.

"How-?"

"Many weeks of careful planning, my prince," she told him. "It was at my request that your father ordered all hostile activity towards this planet ceased. I needed the people to fall into a false sense of security. From there, it only took a few small manipulations of the right people to achieve the desired outcome. Ultimately, it was the princess' own predictable behavior that led her into my trap."

"She better not-"

"She is completely unharmed," the witch cut him off and his momentary anger subsided.

If _anything_ had been done to her...

"Her health is of vital importance," Haggar went on. "For the both of us."

_And here it comes,_ Lotor noted. It would be interesting to see what kind of favor the witch felt that granting his deepest desire was worth.

"All right, old witch, what is it you want from me?"

"All I want is to see the proper king on the throne," she simply said.

It took everything he had to keep from laughing out loud. Oh, what had Father done to incur such outright betrayal? In all her years of switching loyalties, she had never spoken of unseating Zarkon. Haggar was only out for her own interests, but she'd never forgotten that it was the king that had given her her current favored position. Lotor had assumed that no matter what Zarkon did to anger her, he'd never lose her gratitude for that. But it appeared that he had been wrong. For her to finally turn on him...

"And you believe that I am that proper king?" he asked with just the right amount of incredulity.

He'd never made it a secret that he wanted the throne for himself. While he admired his father for what he'd done with his empire, he felt that he had grown too complacent. He was not actively going out and conquering world after world anymore. A few here and there, but nothing like he should be doing. If he wanted, he could own the entire galaxy. But Father did not seem to see his own potential. And, to Lotor, that meant it was time for a new king.

A king who would take that potential and make it a reality.

"I know you are, sire," Haggar said. "And you will rule with your rightful queen at your side. But first you must take the throne, which you could not do while seeking your queen. Now that she is yours, you can focus on achieving your destiny."

As hard as it was to admit, the witch had a point. Claiming Allura as his own had become his all-consuming quest. Everything else had been pushed aside in favor of marrying her. Now that he had her...

"And I suppose you want more power as well?"

Why else replace Father if not to increase her own standing? She was lucky Father had put up with her failures as long as he had. If he had been king, she would have been replaced a long time ago.

"As long as you take heed of my advice as your father now fails to do, I'll be content to remain as I am now," she claimed.

Lotor didn't buy it for a second. His father had _never_ taken any of her advice. He'd only let her do things that would benefit him. But, since he was indebted to her for giving him his bride, he'd have to play along with her.

For now.

He could take care of her after Father was dead and he was king.

"You will also be pleased to know that Voltron is no longer a threat," she added. "The princess did not get caught in my trap alone. One of the space explorers was with her. I have already had him disposed of."

"Which one was it," he asked as calmly as he could. (It explained why Allura's absence had not yet been noticed. The others thought she was protected.) It better not have been the commander. He was to die by his hand alone.

"The Red Lion pilot," Haggar informed him. "He was the second-in-command. It will take time to train replacement pilots for both him and the princess. Time they don't have. Once you and Allura are married, Arus is yours to do with as you please."

And it was true. As Allura's husband, Arus would be under his control. But to be honest, he had never give much thought to that fact. Arus was a worthless planet, slaves its only commodity. (How Voltron had come into its possession was beyond him.) The only advantage to ruling the planet would be his ability to order Voltron destroyed once and for all and to get rid of the remaining members of the Voltron Force. They stayed on Arus at the leisure of its rulers. So if Arus' king wanted them gone... (Though it would be far more satisfying to arrest them and have them executed, he knew his beloved would never approve and if he was to ever gain her love...)

"You were right, old witch," he at last admitted. Haggar had done in a very short period of time what he had been trying for years. He was truly very impressed. (He would have to eventually ask her what Father had done to deserve this level of betrayal.) "I am very pleased with this surprise. You have proven your loyalty to me without a doubt."

It was a lie, of course. Haggar cared for no one but herself. She was only aiding him to spite his father. If he didn't watch her closely, she'd betray him too at the first perceived slight. He'd have to keep her happy until he was securely on the throne.

"You are what Doom needs," she told him. "Your dynasty will be the most powerful the universe has ever seen. Your descendants shall rule for generations."

Lotor found Haggar's excessive flattery amusing. Did she truly believe he'd trust her without question because she'd given him Allura? He sincerely doubted it. She was far too intelligent for that. But if pretending to believe her would get him everything he'd ever wanted, he'd go along with it until it was no longer necessary.

"Allura must become pregnant with your child as soon as possible," Haggar added, taking him by surprise. "It will solidify your claim on both her and her planet. Allura is the sole heir to the Arusian throne. The next ruler must be born of her body. A child fathered by you will forever link Doom with Arus. No one would ever be able to dispute your place as Arus' king."

Children were yet another thing to which he had never given much thought. Although he knew they were a necessity in continuing his family line, he was not fond of them. (To ensure that there were no illegitimate children to steal the throne from him, he had all of his harem slaves closely monitored. All pregnancies were terminated immediately upon discovery.) They were messy and bothersome. He would of course eventually have to have one or two with Allura, but that had never been one of his priorities. But Haggar raised an interesting point. His marriage to Allura alone would never be enough to force Arus to surrender to his rule. But if there were a child involved...

"You have given this a great deal of thought, haven't you, old witch?" he said, still impressed with the lengths she was going to to prove her "loyalty" to him. He wondered how long she had been planning her betrayal of his father. Based on the complexity of her scheme, it could not have been a recent decision. "I'll start working on a child as soon as we're married."

As much as he wanted to march onto the ship and take her this very instant, if he ever wanted to earn Allura's love, he would have to treat her the way she expected to be treated by her intended husband. Arusian society was very repressed and formal. (When he had realized that she was destined to be his queen, he had made a point of learning everything he could about Arusian culture. The less offensive she found his behavior, the sooner she'd learn to love him.) That meant, among other things, waiting until they were married to begin having sexual relations with her. It would be difficult and frustrating, but it would be worth it once he won her love.

"That would be a mistake, my prince," Haggar told him. "You know the marriage cannot happen without your father's presence and approval and he will not return to Doom for over a week. Unless you physically claim her now and start a pregnancy, you will not have the right to hold her when the remaining space explorers come to her rescue, as you know they will. It will only be a matter of days before they realize that she is missing. All of this will have been for nothing and you will lose her again. I'm right and you know it, sire. You must bed her immediately."

Lotor's hands balled into fists as his anger rose once again. The audacity of the hag to tell him how to treat his beloved! Allura was not a common slave. She was to be his queen! It was only right that she be treated as such. If he were to do as Haggar was urging him...

Yet, once more, he had to admit that she had a point. Until Allura was legally his wife, he did not have the authority to keep her on Doom against her will except as a prisoner of war, which she most definitely was not. If the remaining members of the Voltron Force came, it would be a fight to keep Allura from returning to Arus with them. Their deaths would be the only way to keep her where she belonged. (Deaths for which she'd never forgive him...) But if she were carrying his child, he would have authority over his own flesh and blood. Under Doom law, she could not keep him from his own child, wife or not. She would have to stay.

"All right, old witch, we'll do things your way," he at last gave in, the remains of his anger draining away. Allura would eventually forgive him for taking her before they were married. It wasn't as if it was going to be an unpleasant experience for her. She might surprise herself and _enjoy_ it. "Have Allura taken directly to my chambers once we arrive at Doom."

"Excellent, my prince," Haggar smiled. "You are making the right decision."

"For your sake, you better pray to all the dark gods that I am."

Because if he did all of this and Allura was again prevented from becoming his queen...

"Your suffering will be unending if I lose Allura again."

((()))

"Where are you?" Keith murmured to himself as he turned Black around once again to do another flyover of the land between the castle and Jancia. In the two hours since he'd commenced his search, he hadn't found the slightest trace of Allura's carriage.

He felt the last of his hope, slender as it had been, slip away. There should have been _some_ sign of them by now, even something as mundane as the droppings from the horses, but there was nothing. It was as if their carriage had never passed along the road.

Where was she? What had happened to her? Why was there no trace of her?

Where was his Allura?

He prayed that wherever she was, Lance was still with her and keeping her safe.

Because if they'd been separated...

There was no question that they had never arrived at the festival. Keith had had Pidge scan the entirety of Jancia with the satellite array and use a facial recognition program to search everyone there. The scan hadn't even turned up so much as a partial match. Lance and Allura were not among the people there. Something had interrupted their journey from the Castle of Lions to Jancia and they had never gotten there.

If it was who he feared it was...

Even more disturbing was the Jancians' seeming lack of concern for their missing guest of honor. From the visuals sent from the satellites, it appeared that they were all enjoying themselves. There was no indication that they were worried about anything at all. Stayden, who was also absent, had claimed that the festival was being held specifically to honor Allura. If that were true, why didn't they care that she hadn't arrived? It didn't make any sense.

Using Black Lion's vast array of sensors, he continually swept the road that the carriage would have traveled to reach Jancia as well as the surrounding area, but nothing appeared.

Nothing at all.

Keith felt sick to his stomach.

"Allura," he murmured, his heart hurting.

This was all his fault. He would never forgive himself for allowing this to happen. He should have fought harder to keep her from going. Better yet, he should have gone with her like she had wanted. Damn his sense of duty! Maybe if he'd been there, he would have been able to do something to keep her safe. Allura had needed him and he'd chosen a meeting over her. He didn't deserve any of the affection she had for him.

He'd failed to protect her.

He'd failed _her._

_He_ was a failure.

He took a deep breath to calm his churning emotions. He could not allow himself to fall apart. He wouldn't be good to anyone that way. He needed to stay in control.

For Allura's sake.

Once he felt steady enough to speak, he said aloud into the communication panel "Keith to control. I'm going to start widening the search grid. I've been over this area enough times. Lance and the princess aren't here."

"Do you want us to join you?" Pidge asked for both Hunk and himself as his image appeared on the screen.

"Please," Keith said, grateful for the offer. He would never make this an order. This search was personal. He was the one who'd failed to protect Allura, not them.

"We're on our way," Pidge promised. "Coran, control is yours."

Pidge's face disappeared and was replaced by Coran's.

"Please find her," Coran quietly implored, his eyes meeting Keith's through the screen.

"I won't rest until I do," he vowed, meaning every word of it.

And it was true. He'd never again be able to be at peace until he knew his love was safe.

He turned his attention to his navigation console and brought up a map of Jancia and the surrounding area twenty miles in each direction. There was no indication of any large settlements anywhere in that radius. Most of the land was taken up by farms.

He allowed himself to feel a new sliver of hope. Perhaps Lance and Allura had gone to one of the farms for some reason?

If they were still there...

"We're in the air and we're ready to rock and roll," Hunk announced as the Yellow and Green Lions appeared on his scopes. "What are your orders, boss man?"

"Hunk, you take the south," he directed. "Pidge, you go west. I'll start my search in the east."

"You've got it, Commander," Pidge acknowledged.

"I'm just glad I packed a few snacks," Hunk added. "We could be at this a while."

"We'll search as long as it takes," Keith seriously informed him, unable to derive any amusement from Hunk's food obsession. "We're not stopping until we find them."

Relieved that he was no longer the only pair of eyes searching, he turned Black onto an eastern heading.

And almost immediately, his sensors picked something up.

"Coran, I've got something here, he spoke up as he switched his displays. On his screen, a huge black smoke cloud was stretched for miles into the sky. "It looks like there's a huge fire about twelve miles away from my current position."

"I'm homing in on your coordinates now," Coran told him. "I'm bringing up the image on the view screen now." There was a pause and Coran's expression changed. "Oh my word..."

Keith's gut reaction was to immediately drop the search and go offer his help to anyone down there. This was of course the right thing to do. But there was a small part of him that cried out in protest at the very idea of abandoning his search for Allura for even a short while. _Allura needs you,_ it told him. _You have to keep searching!_

But Keith could not allow himself to be selfish when there were lives at stake. He was a space explorer and it was his sworn duty to help those in need. And as painful as it was to admit, he had no proof that Allura was in danger, just a gut wrenching feeling. The people caught in the fire, on the other hand, were.

He _had_ to help them.

"I'm going to go see what I can do to help," he informed the others. "Pidge, Hunk, continue the search. I'll rejoin you as soon as I've finished here."

"Copy that," Pidge responded.

Satisfied that Hunk and Pidge would keep searching, he increased Black's speed.

As he approached the smoke cloud, it became clear just how enormous it truly was. This was no small house fire. A large area was burning. Maybe a forest fire? If so, putting it completely out alone would not be easy.

_I could really use Blue Lion's assistance,_ he thought. Blue's weapons were all water based. Allura's participation in putting the fire out would have been invaluable.

But Allura wasn't here...

Feeling his emotions beginning to once again get the better of him, he pushed them aside. This was not the time nor the place to break down. He had a job to do.

Finally he arrived at the cloud and he was able to see it's source.

It wasn't a forest fire.

It was an entire farm.

Keith felt sick as he realized that this had not been an accident.

"Oh my god."

The fires themselves had mostly died down, but everything had been destroyed. Not a single structure, including the farmer's house, remained standing. All of the crop fields had been razed. He could even see the charred corpses of the livestock.

Of the people who had lived here, there was no sign.

"Pidge, Hunk, cancel those last orders," he spoke as he slowed Black down and looked for a landing site. "I'm going to need your help."

"Keith, what is it?" Pidge asked.

"This fire wasn't an accident," he told him, feeling more and more ill with every passing second. "This farm has been totally destroyed. If I had a guess, I'd say Doom was behind this."

Who but Zarkon's minions would do something like this?

But that meant there were forces from Doom on Arus.

And if they were...

His heart dropped as he realized that Allura's disappearance couldn't be a coincidence.

It was exactly as he had feared: Lotor had Allura.

He wanted to rage and scream in protest, but such an uncontrollable emotional display was the last thing he could allow himself right now. Pidge and Hunk were counting on him to act as their commander. He had a responsibility to them to stay in control. He could fall apart after Allura was safely back where she belonged.

"I'm going to start checking for survivors," he continued. "There may be some people who escaped being taken as slaves by hiding in some of the buildings. If they did, they're going to need immediate medical assistance."

As he finished circling around the smoking ruins, he, to his utter surprise, spotted a piece of ground in the middle of the destruction that had somehow remained untouched by the fire. From his vantage point, the area appeared to contain a line of multicolored, unevenly shaped objects. It was odd that this area had been spared.

Deciding it was as good a place as any to begin the search for survivors, he put Black down in front of the objects.

And immediately recognized them for what they were.

Bodies.

And based on the way they were positioned, they had been lined up and killed where they stood.

This had been an execution.

_Oh my god..._

He didn't even want to allow himself to _think_ why all these people had been killed. But in his heart he knew that this was all related to Allura's disappearance. These poor people had most likely been murdered because they knew what had happened to her.

He took a moment to steady himself before reporting the grisly find.

When he was confident that his voice wouldn't waver, he raised his Voltcom as he stood from his seat. "Coran, I have a large number of bodies here. They're in an area that wasn't touched by the fire. I'm pretty sure they were executed."

"Gods above," was Coran's response.

"Are you sure Doom is responsible for this?" Pidge spoke up as Keith exited through Black's jaws. "This seems too small scale for them. I know this sounds unlikely, but could it have been a rival farmer?"

"A rival would want the land," Keith pointed out. "Destroying it wouldn't make any sense."

"It _had_ to be Doom," Hunk decided. "Who else could it have been? Arus doesn't have any other enemies."

Keith agreed with Hunk, but Pidge was right about this not being typical of Doom. Zarkon wanted to enslave the population of the planet. There were always casualties from one of his attacks, but that was to be expected of warfare. But _this_... _This_ was not the result of a battle. _This_ was the willful murder of a large group of people.

But if he was right and they were killed because of what they knew about Allura's disappearance...

His thoughts trailed off as he came up to the row of victims and froze as he realized that there was not just adults among the dead.

There were several children as well.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

He was of course no stranger to death. As a member of Galaxy Garrison, he had killed many enemies during his career as a space explorer and not always in combat situations. But to see _children_...

"Coran, I'm finding children among the dead," he reported.

"What?!" Hunk cried out, not unexpectedly. "Who would-? I'll kill every last one of them myself!"

Keith knew Hunk wasn't exaggerating. The big man had a fondness for children that matched his love of food. He did not take it well when anyone mistreated them in any way.

Keith was also not surprised when Pidge did not add any comments. At fifteen, he was barely more than a child himself, something they all tended to forget from time to time. Although he was an experienced space explorer and had himself killed on missions, seeing dead children was completely different. This had to be especially hard for him.

"Pidge, if you want to keep searching-"

"I'm fine, Commander," he cut him off. "Besides, you need me. I can look for survivors in places you and Hunk can't fit."

"Are you sure, Little Buddy?" Hunk pressed, sounding concerned for his best friend.

"I'm sure," Pidge assured him.

"You two just get here when you can," Keith said as he knelt down by the head of the nearest victim. "I'm going to see if any of these people may still be alive."

He honestly doubted that any of them were, but for his own peace of mind, he had to make sure. They appeared to have all been shot directly in the heart, which would have killed them instantly. In the unlikely event that one of them hadn't died immediately, they would most likely be dead by now. Based on the smoldering remains of the farm, the incident had occurred many hours ago, possibly before dawn. It would take a miracle for any of them to still be alive.

He looked down at the man he was going to check first and froze as recognition instantly set in.

It was Stayden.

"No, no, no..."

Allura _had_ been here.

He immediately began to panic, all rational thought flying from his mind.

Allura had been with Stayden and Stayden had been murdered along with everyone else.

_Everyone_ had been murdered...

"Oh, please, god, no," he begged as he frantically began to check all of the adult female bodies.

None of this was Lotor's style. He wouldn't have done anything to upset his "beloved bride-to-be." This was clearly the work someone else from Doom. Someone who may not have known what the princess was worth to their prince.

Someone who may have thought it best just to get rid of her once and for all...

It took five minutes for Keith to locate the eight women and ascertain that none of them were his Allura.

She was still alive.

"Thank god," he breathed. "Thank god."

"Keith? Keith?" Hunk's voice came over his Voltcom. "Is everything okay down there? I didn't catch the last thing you said."

"Allura was here," he replied, forcing himself to calm down. He had to keep his personal feelings for her hidden, especially now. "I just found Stayden. He's dead."

"Dead?!" Pidge cried. "But...but..."

"Allura's still alive," he assured the three men listening. "I just checked the bodies of the women. None of them were her."

"Thank the heavens," Coran spoke up.

"What about Lance?" Pidge wanted to know. "Is he...?"

Guilt surged through Keith's body as he realized he hadn't even given a second thought to the fate of his best friend. He had been completely consumed with finding Allura. It had been his idea to send Lance as Allura's bodyguard. If anything had happened to him...

"I..." Keith started to say as he scanned the line of bodies that lay before him.

And then he noticed the one at the end that didn't quite look like it belonged.

The one wearing the leather jacket...

"No..."

He rushed over and dropped to his knees next to the man he'd thought of as a brother for more years than he could remember.

Like the other victims, Lance had been shot in the chest. However, his wound didn't appear to have hit him directly in the heart as the others had been.

Maybe...

Praying for a miracle, he pressed his fingers against Lance's neck...

And found a weak pulse.

He was alive!

_Thank god!_ he silently cried, though he knew it would be some time before the guilt went away.

"I've got him!" he announced over his Voltcom. "I found Lance! And he's still alive!"

He waited for his teammates' happy cheers of relief to die down before speaking again.

"Pidge, Hunk, when you get here, take over the search for survivors," he ordered as he picked up Lance's limp body and slung him over his shoulder. "I'm bringing Lance back to the castle. Coran, tell Doctor Gorma to be ready. He's taken severe laser damage to the chest."

"I will do so immediately," Coran promised.

Keith slowly stood up, Lance's dead weight pressing heavily down on his shoulder, and started making his way back to Black.

Although thrilled and relieved that Lance was alive, there was still only one thought on Keith's mind: where was Allura?

And the one person who could answer that question was unconscious.

Finding out Allura's fate would have to wait until Lance recovered from his wounds.

Keith prayed he could keep it together until then.

((()))

The first thing Allura noticed as she woke up was that she was wet.

It felt as if she was immersed in warm water, which was very strange. She had no recollection of being anywhere _near_ water, so how could she be in it? Nor did she remember falling-

"Lance!" she cried, her eyes flying open as her memories came crashing over her.

The horrible image of one of her best friends in the entire world being murdered before her eyes flashed into her mind and she felt like screaming all over again.

She'd never forget that sight as long as she lived.

It would haunt her until the day she died.

Which she prayed would be very soon...

"I am so sorry, Mistress!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke and Allura was instantly pulled back into the present.

And she immediately realized why she felt wet: she was in a large bathtub filled with soapy water.

A tub large enough for several people to fit comfortably in.

_Oh, gods!_

That meant that _someone_ had...

She looked down at herself and to her utter embarrassment, the water only came up to right under her breasts. She was completely exposed to anyone in the room with her.

Feeling her face burning, she quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

Was she already on Doom and in Lotor's private chambers? How long had she been unconscious? How long did she have before her greatest fear became reality?

"Please forgive me!" the voice came again and suddenly a girl appeared beside her. She could not have been much younger than she was, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, and she was clutching a washcloth with both hands. "I didn't mean to wake you! Please don't tell the prince! I'll do anything you ask! Just please don't tell him!"

Allura looked sympathetically at the terrified girl, her heart going out to her. She was clearly just a slave who had been tasked with bathing her. (As embarrassed as she was by her situation, she had more important things to worry about, such as finding a way to end her life before Lotor got his hands on her. She knew that escape was impossible. Death was her only option.) Only Lotor would punish someone for something she couldn't control.

"It's all right," she assured her. "You haven't done anything wrong. I woke up on my own, I promise."

The girl seemed to relax a little at that, but not very much. Allura couldn't even begin to imagine what her instructions had been and what punishments she had been threatened with for failure to follow them completely.

"My name's Allura," she continued, wanting to put the poor girl at ease. She was innocent of any wrongdoing. She was simply a slave who had been given a job to do. None of this was her fault. "What's yours?"

"Joandra," the girl shyly answered. "I already know who you are, Mistress. There is no one here among the prince's harem who doesn't. His Highness talks of little else but you."

Allura felt ill at the words. She had greatly underestimated Lotor's sick obsession with her. It was one thing, as she had been told earlier, that he called the women he bedded by her name, but to know that he _spoke_ about her on a regular basis...

"I am one of the servants who have been assigned to you," Joandra continued, bowing her head. "I am yours to command."

Allura found it strange that Joandra referred to herself as a servant when she was clearly a slave. There were no true servants on Doom, only poor innocent people being forced to attend to Zarkon and his minions. A real servant had a choice in the kinds of duties she'd be willing to perform. A slave, like Joandra, had to do exactly as she was told without question if she wanted to avoid punishment.

She shuddered at the thought. Slavery went against everything she believed in. On Arus, before the war, members of the castle staff had been paid for their services. Now they were there because they wanted to be. No one was forced to serve anyone else. She hated the fact that Joandra and others were being made to take care of her.

But she knew that she could not turn them away. If she did, Lotor would assume they had done something to displease her and punish them for it. So for their sake, she would have to endure their services until she found a way to die.

"Where am I?" she asked, wanting to talk about something other than Joandra's forced servitude. She wondered how much time had passed since... Since... (It was too painful to even _think_ the words.) If she was already on Doom...

"You are on His Highness's personal flagship," another voice answered for Joandra.

Allura looked and saw two other woman approaching her. The one who had spoken appeared slightly older than Joandra, maybe in her twenties, while the woman beside her appeared to be close to Joandra's age. All three were dressed similarly, wearing outfits that left very little to the imagination.

And all three, Allura couldn't help but notice, had blonde hair.

"I am Neelyn," the older slave introduced herself. "You've already met Joandra and this is Elsee. Prince Lotor has chosen the three of us to be your personal attendants for as long as you desire us. We are here to meet your every need. Anything you want, as long as it is in our power, we will provide for you."

"All I want is to go home," Allura told her and Neelyn smiled sadly at her.

"That is the one request we cannot grant," she said. "If we could, we would all leave here. No one is here of their own free will."

"But we are treated well if we do as we are told," Elsee put in. "The prince's harem is the safest place on Doom for a female slave. No one but His Highness is allowed to touch us. It is considered an honor to be chosen."

Allura felt sick at the thought of these three women having been touched by Lotor. From what Lance had told her, the experience would have been horrific. And if that was considered an honor among the slaves...

At least she wasn't on Doom yet. That meant she had a little time to find a way to end her life. She would have to be careful in choosing her method. She did not want Lotor blaming the three women for her death.

"But you have been given the greatest honor of all," Joandra spoke up. "There are many among us in the harem who would give anything to become Lotor's queen."

"I would rather die," Allura asserted and all three woman looked shocked that she would say such a thing. "I _hate_ him. He and his father have been trying to destroy my planet for years. Death is preferable to being his wife. What you see as an honor is my worst nightmare."

"You can't mean that, Mistress!" Joandra cried, sounded horrified.

"I mean every word of it," Allura informed her. "I've spent almost my entire life fighting against Doom. I refuse to allow myself to become a part of this world. To do so would betray everything I have ever fought for."

"That is not necessarily so," Neelyn disagreed. "It would only be a betrayal if you became like them. Why not see your marriage to the prince as an opportunity to do some good here? As his wife, you would have the power to change things for the better. You could become the voice for those who have none."

Allura understood what Neelyn was suggesting and if she was marrying anyone other than Lotor, it would have been a good idea. But Neelyn was greatly overestimating the kind of influence she would have as Lotor's wife. Lotor had no interest in anything she had to say. All he cared about was possessing her body. Her mind was nothing to him. All she was was a pretty bauble he had to have. Although he would marry her and call her his wife, she was little more than a prisoner. (If she couldn't end her life in time, maybe she would be lucky and he would grow bored with her and have her killed fairly quickly.)

"A better solution would be for me to go home and come back with Voltron to free all of you instead," she countered. "Then you'd never have to serve anyone against your will ever again."

There were so many slaves all over Zarkon's empire that the only way to truly free them all would be to defeat Zarkon once and for all. But until that day came, she knew the Voltron Force would continue to save one world at a time while Sven and Romelle kept freeing people on Doom.

With or without her.

"This talk of freedom is pointless," Neelyn decided. "You'll only upset yourself with what can never be. I know you don't want to hear this, but you'll be much happier if you simply accept your fate. It won't be a bad life, I promise. You'll be pleased to know that Lotor is away most of the time. When he's here, his stay is usually brief. You won't have to suffer his attentions for more than a few days before he leaves again. And when he's gone, you'll be free to do as you please. As his wife, your movement around the castle will not be restricted. Unlike us, you'll be able to go anywhere you want at any time. You will be able to make a good life for yourself, Allura."

Neelyn gestured to Joandra who quickly moved out of Allura's field of vision.

Almost immediately, she felt the washcloth return to scrubbing her back.

"Now, Joandra is going to finish bathing you and then Elsee and I will dress you," Neelyn continued. "There is food waiting for you after you are dressed. You'll feel better after you've eaten."

Allura didn't bother responding. What could she say to someone as accepting of her fate as Neelyn was? How long had she been a slave that she had started to see good where there wasn't any? Allura's heart ached for her. She had given up on having any other kind of life. How many other slaves on Doom felt the same way?

Not wanting to talk any more, she closed her eyes and turned her attention back to her dilemma.

How was she going to end her life before Lotor took her to his bed? What could she do that her three "attendants" wouldn't notice until it was too late? Unless there was a gun lying around somewhere, she couldn't think of any instantaneous methods that-

_The guards!_ she suddenly realized.

Although she had been unconscious when she had been brought aboard the ship, she knew that Haggar and Lotor would have placed guards outside the room. She was, to them, very precious cargo and they wouldn't want anything happening to her. She'd bet everything she owned that they had been given orders to kill anyone unauthorized who dared come close to the door.

In fact, they were probably so focused on keeping everyone _out_ that someone suddenly leaving from the inside would trigger an instantaneous and instinctive reaction.

Especially a naked woman.

With any luck, she'd be dead before they'd realize what they'd done.

She was surprised at how calm she felt now that she'd made the decision of how she'd die. She always been frightened at the thought of death, but compared to the horror that would be her life if she were married to Lotor, it was an easy choice. Better to die on her own terms than to be forced to endure Lotor's "affections."

_Goodbye, my love,_ she silently sent to Keith. _I'm sorry I never told you how I feel. Please forgive me._

It was her one regret. She hoped he would one day be able to find happiness without her. He _deserved_ to be happy.

At peace with her decision, she opened her eyes to survey her situation. Neelyn and Elsee were nowhere in sight while Joandra was beside her, gently washing her left arm. The bathroom door was directly behind Joandra. What was beyond it, she didn't know, but there was no where else to go. When she started moving, she would just have to keep going until she found the door with the guards.

Taking a deep breath, she leapt to her feet, eliciting a surprised yelp from Joandra. She vaulted out of the tub and without a moment of hesitation, bolted through the bathroom door.

"Mistress!" Joandra cried after her but Allura ignored her.

Allura found herself in a large and luxurious chamber. It didn't look like it belonged on a warship, but there was no time to ponder what that said about their normal occupant. Her only focus had to be on finding the main door that was heavily guarded.

"What are you doing?" Neelyn demanded to know from across the room. "You'll catch your death standing around that way."

Allura paid no attention to her as she scanned for an exit. Clothed or not, it didn't make a difference. Her goal was to get herself killed.

It only took a few seconds, but her eyes spotted a large and ornate doorway close to where Neelyn was.

Confident that was the exit she wanted, she took off running towards it.

But before she could get there, the doors swung open and Haggar appeared in the doorway, her cat in her arms.

"No!" Allura cried as she skidded to a halt. "No!"

"Just where do you think you're going, little princess?" the witch wanted to know as she came into the room. "And in such a state of undress, no less. For a royal, you have an appalling lack of manners."

Allura sank to the floor, every last drop of hope of a merciful end draining away. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

It was over. Her one and only escape route had been taken from her. She was truly trapped.

"It's a good thing I asked the prince to remain on the bridge," Haggar casually continued, putting her cat down on the floor. "I don't think I could have prevented him from taking you to his bed as soon as he saw you. You are far too tempting this way."

Allura turned her teary gaze to the floor. Never before had she felt so empty and desolate. Never in a hundred years would she have dreamed of her life coming to this. It was her worst nightmare.

She felt a towel draped around her shoulders.

"My apologizes, Excellency," Neelyn spoke. "Her Highness took us by surprise. It won't happen again."

"I know it won't," Haggar agreed. "I believe the princess has learned that trying to escape in a fruitless endeavor. I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior from now on. Isn't that right, Princess?"

Allura didn't answer. She just continued to stare at the floor.

What was the point of arguing with Haggar? She had won. She had brought Lotor his prize. Fighting with her would only give her an opportunity to rub in her victory.

"The reason I came is to inform you that we are less than two hours from Doom," Haggar went on. "I expect the princess to be appropriately dressed for her private audience with the prince."

Allura felt nauseous at the words.

In less than two hours...

"She will be ready," Neelyn promised.

"I will return for her when it is time to disembark," Haggar said. "Come, pussy cat."

Allura looked up to see Haggar turn and walk back out the door, her cat on her heels.

_No, no, no..._

She had less than two hours before...

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted to her feet.

"Come, Allura," she heard Neelyn's voice gently say. "We have much to do."

Allura allowed herself to be taken wherever Neelyn wanted her to be. She had no fight left in her. Her life as she knew it was over.

In less than two hours, she would be left alone with Lotor.

In less than two hours, he would force himself on her.

_This_ was going to be her life from now on.

Overwhelmed by her despair, she began to sob.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:   
This portion of the story contains two sequences of highly disturbing material. One is a graphic rape scene. If you are uncomfortable reading this kind of content, I highly recommend not reading any more of the story.  
Just a reminder: if you would like me to answer any questions or comments you may have, please either leave a signed review, an unsigned review with an e-mail address, or e-mail me directly. If you would like to e-mail me, please see my profile for details.  
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the continuation of the story.

_Ugh, I feel like shit,_ was the first thought that came to Lance's mind as he woke up, a dull pain radiating from the center of his chest. _What the hell happened to me this..._

The thought trailed off as he recalled _exactly_ what had happened to him.

He'd been shot.

Executed, to be exact, along with a large group of people.

He was literally supposed to be dead.

So why wasn't he? Doom robots weren't known for missing their targets. They-

_Allura!_ he remembered. _Allura damaged one of them!_

She'd kicked the one that had been trying to take her from the Drule officer that had had her in his grip. She'd knocked it down and it had been unsteady on its feet when it stood back up. That same robot must have been the one to shoot him. It was the only logical reason for why he was still alive.

Without realizing what she'd been doing, Allura had saved his life.

He owed her big time. And when they got her back, he would tell her so, too.

Anything she wanted would be hers. (Though he had a feeling that once she and Keith were finally on the same page, there wouldn't _be_ anything else she desired.)

His heart hurt as he thought of her. He had no idea how long he'd been out of it, but there was no question that she was now in Lotor's clutches.

And more than likely had already been in his bed...

The thought of that bastard touching her that way made him physically ill.

Haggar had made it painfully clear that getting Allura pregnant was a priority. Lotor wanted an heir as soon as possible, which meant that he would be constantly forcing himself on her until she became pregnant. (It would be an ironic twist of fate if she already _was_ pregnant by _him_. He couldn't think of anything that would piss Lotor off more. He was already going to be furious when he found out that she wasn't a virgin. But if she was pregnant on top of that... It would be absolutely perfect. But he doubted he was that lucky. He'd had a lot of unprotected sex in his day and he'd yet to get a woman pregnant. Which, in hindsight, was probably a _good_ thing...)

He couldn't even begin to imagine Allura's suffering. The things she'd have to endure until she was rescued... At least, it wouldn't take as long as he had originally feared. The fact that he had not died changed everything. He'd be able to tell Keith exactly what had happened himself. (He was still pretty certain that Keith was going to kill him for failing to protect her in the first place, but at least he could take comfort in the fact that Allura would be saved _before_ Keith turned on him. He wouldn't want to waste the precious time.) There'd be no delay in going after her. The could start putting together a rescue plan immediately.

Deciding it was time to make his way back to the castle, he opened his eyes.

And found that he was already there.

_What the-? How?_

"How are you feeling?" a familiar voice spoke from somewhere beside him.

Lance turned his head towards the unseen speaker and was surprised to find Keith sitting in a chair next to his bed.

He was immediately shocked by how terrible his friend looked. Keith was a complete wreck. It had been years since Lance had seen him like this.

It was the way he'd been after Whitney had left him.

Lance didn't need to ask why.

"Like someone tried to kill me," he answered the question. "But we both know that you aren't really here to ask me how I'm doing." He could see the look of protest and denial starting to form on Keith's face, but he didn't give him a chance to speak. "You want to know where Allura is.

"Lotor has her."

There was a brief flash of anguish across Keith's face, but he quickly composed himself. (Lance could tell he was barely holding it together. Allura's disappearance was killing him. And now that he knew who had her...) "How?"

"We were ambushed by Haggar a couple of hours into our trip," Lance told him, sitting up with a groan. The movement was excruciating despite the pain meds he knew were in his system. "You were right about it being a trap. It was a set-up from the start. Haggar had taken Stayden's family hostage and used them to force him to help her. I'm assuming you saw how she repaid him?"

Keith nodded and Lance realized that that was how he'd been found. Keith had somehow come across the farm days ahead of Haggar's schedule.

He couldn't even imagine what had gone through Keith's mind when he had discovered both him and Stayden among the victims. He must have thought...

It explained a lot about his state of mind.

"They were trying to erase all evidence that they'd been there," Lance continued. "From what Haggar told Allura, the plan is to keep anyone from knowing what happened to her long enough for her marriage to Lotor to take place. The idea is that by the time anyone figures out where she is, she'll already be his wife."

He paused, debating whether or not to tell Keith about Haggar's emphasis on Allura becoming pregnant with Lotor's heir as soon as possible. Given his current emotional state, he didn't think Keith would react well to knowing that Allura had more than likely already been violated. That one piece of information could push him over the edge.

But before he could say another word, Keith silently stood up from his chair and started to leave.

Lance knew instantly what he was intending to do.

"Don't do it, Keith," he called after him. "It's suicide."

Lotor may not have been expecting anyone to come for Allura so soon, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be ready for it in the event that someone did. And Keith, who wasn't in his right mind, wouldn't realize he had walked into a trap until it was too late. He was too consumed with worry over Allura to think straight. He'd be caught or, more likely given Lotor's pathological hatred of him, killed in minutes. It would be a complete disaster.

Keith stopped, but didn't turn around.

"It's my fault she was taken in the first place," he said, stunning Lance. (Keith was blaming himself?! What?!) "It's only right that I be the one to get her out of there. There's no reason to risk anyone else's life."

Had Keith completely lost it? How the hell had he come to the conclusion that Allura's abduction was his fault? How did that even make any sense? Keith had been back at the castle when it had happened. Where was this crazy idea coming from? He was supposed to hold _him_ responsible!

Lance had never seen Keith this out of his mind before. (It was far worse than the time they'd all thought Allura had died thanks to the spell Haggar had placed on her. Keith had completely lost it and broken down, but he'd pulled himself back together after convincing himself that she wasn't really dead. It was a good thing he'd been right...) It was more than a little unsettling. Keith was the calm, analytical member of the team. He always thought things through before choosing a course of action. It was why he was such a good leader. (Sven had made the right decision all those years ago when he had passed the command to him.) The man in front of him was a stranger.

He would have to pull himself together before any rescue attempt was made. He wouldn't do anyone any good the way he was. He'd only get himself, and probably anyone who went with him, killed.

"First of all, it's a little impossible for something to be your fault if you weren't there when it happened," Lance pointed out matter-of-factly. He needed to make Keith see how messed up his thinking was at the moment. Hopefully it would be enough to get him to realize that he wasn't in any shape to go rescue Allura right now, especially by himself. All he'd accomplish would be getting himself killed. He needed help. "You were in a meeting at the time, Keith. So unless you've mastered the art of being in two places at once, I think it's safe to say you're off the hook.

"And second, if you want to successfully rescue her, you don't go alone and you especially don't go without a plan," he pressed on before Keith could protest. "That's a surefire way to get yourself killed. You need support on an operation like this. There's no way you're just going to waltz into Castle Doom, find Allura, and waltz back out. Lotor will be expecting you to try something like that. You show up by yourself and, bam!, you're a dead man. You really want to make Allura a widow before you two even get married?"

_That_ got Keith's attention.

He finally turned around and folded his arms. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"You know damn well what I mean," Lance retorted. "Allura is as much in love with you as you are with her. She wants to _marry_ you, Keith. She wants to have _children_ with you. Saving her from Lotor won't mean a damn thing if you get yourself killed in the process. She won't have anything left to live for. She wants a life with you and only you. She is in love with _you._"

Lance knew he was walking on dangerous ground by blatantly bringing Keith's love for Allura into the conversation. Keith was an extremely private person. As a rule, he did not like to discuss his personal life with anyone. That went quadruple for his love life. (There had been some exceptions over the years, especially during and after the Whitney incident, but almost none since coming to Arus.) And given Keith's explosive temper when pushed too far (even someone as generally calm as Keith had a breaking point), Lance normally knew not to discuss his feelings for Allura with him. But this was a life or death situation. It was the only way to make him see reason.

"And I suppose she voluntarily shared all of this information with you?" Keith wanted to know, sounding skeptical.

For a second, Lance was tempted to give him a snappy response, but he ultimately decided that it wouldn't do anything but aggravate him further. The time for humor had passed.

"Allura told me she wanted to die, Keith," he quietly informed him and Keith's expression instantly became one of shock. "She said she'd rather be dead than let Lotor touch or marry her. I had to think of something to make her want to go on living. So I told her the only thing I knew would work: the fact that you're in love with her."

Keith just stared at him, clearly too stunned to say anything.

"She didn't believe me at first," he continued, taking advantage of Keith's silence. "She was convinced you didn't feel that way about her. That's when she told me how much she loves you. She's been in love with you for a long time, Keith. Probably as long as you've been in love with her."

That wasn't exactly the way it had happened (he'd more or less forced a confession from her), but it was close enough. And it was exactly what Keith needed to know.

"It took some doing, but I eventually got through to her," he went on. "You should have seen her face when she finally realized that I was telling her the truth. It was a beautiful thing."

And it had been. For a brief moment, she'd been happy again.

And then she'd had to go and pick up on the fact that he was sure he'd be dead before rescue came...

"Oh, god," Keith moaned, taking Lance by surprise. It was not the kind of reaction he had expected. Denial, anger, maybe, but _this_? "She wasn't... I didn't... God, Lance, do you have any idea what you've done?"

Lance didn't understand why Keith was so upset. Allura had needed a reason to stay strong and to not give up and he'd given her the only one that he knew would work. Whatever reasons Keith had had for keeping his feelings hidden from her (probably something about her being royalty or that they were on the same team or, more likely knowing Keith, some combination of the two), they meant nothing when her life was at stake. She'd needed to know. It was that simple.

Again deciding to forego his usual humor or sarcasm, he simply said, "No, I don't. All I wanted to do was save her life. What was so terrible about telling her the truth?"

Keith looked at him. "You really don't know, do you? I know you know that Allura has to marry a prince some day if she's to become queen. She has no other choice. She has to put her people first. So what good will it do her knowing that I'm in love with her? We can't be together. And even if we did decide to try to be in a relationship, it would have to be with the knowledge that it would have to end when the time came for her to marry. That would break her heart, Lance. How could I do that to her? It was better when she didn't know how I feel about her. I wanted to spare her that kind of pain. Now that she knows..."

"She already _was_ in pain, Keith," Lance countered, finally realizing the true reason Keith had stayed silent all this time. Unlike Allura, who hadn't believed Keith felt the same way about her as she did for him, Keith had been very much aware of her feelings for him. He'd been, as he always was, trying to protect her.

And living in misery because of it.

Keith was suffering as much as Allura was. He just hid it a lot better.

"She's so in love with you that it was tearing her apart thinking you didn't feel the same way," Lance went on, determined to make Keith see that he couldn't keep his feelings from Allura any longer. "She even told me that she flat out refuses to marry anyone but the man she loves and that's _you,_ Commander. You and only you. She also told me that if she wasn't the only one in line for the throne, she'd happily throw it all away so she could be with you. You're the only thing she cares about. She only wants to be with you."

Every word of it was the truth. Allura's love for Keith was so powerful there was no need to embellish anything. It was the only thing that was going to help her survive her ordeal. Keith would be a fool if he didn't give her the love that she needed after she was rescued. And Lance had never taken Keith to be a fool.

"But she can't," Keith softly protested. "Her people have to come first. She knows that. I refuse to be the one to keep her from her duty. I love her too much to do that to her."

"So you'll just silently stand by while she marries someone she doesn't love?" Lance wanted to know. "Because that's what it's going to come to if you don't say anything to her. She'll be forced into a loveless marriage just so she can be queen. When she continues to refuse to have any suitors, Coran and Nanny will just pick some random prince to be her husband. You really think that's fair to her?"

He wanted to add "or you?" but he decided against it. If Keith wanted to make this all about Allura and what was good for her, he'd let him.

Keith looked away. "Fair or not, it's the right thing for her to do. And there's no reason why she can't come to love the man she marries. I don't think Coran or Nanny would choose someone who isn't a good man. Allura will have a happy life with him. She'll be loved and she'll have children. It will be everything she's ever wanted.

"And if she's happy, I'll be happy."

_But she won't be happy because she's not with you._

Lance knew a losing battle when he saw one. He would just have to trust Keith to make the right decision when they finally rescued Allura. Lance hoped that when he saw how much Allura needed his love...

"All right, let's start talking rescue plans then," he changed the subject and Keith's demeanor shifted once again. _This_ was a safe topic. It did not involve emotions. And it was something Keith was very, very good at. "You know it's not going to be easy getting her out of there. Lotor's going to want to keep her very close by him, probably somewhere in or around his personal quarters, which are surrounded by his harem. He's going to want to have easy access to her at all times while keeping everyone else out. She'll definitely be under heavy guard. It'll probably take some time to find her. And then will come the problem of removing her without anyone noticing."

Lance could see that Keith's mind was already hard at work on the problem. Good. It meant that Keith had gone into his command mode. He'd switched off his emotions and immersed himself in logic and strategy. It would keep his mind off of his private agony for a little while at least. (That little while would come to an abrupt end as soon as he learned of Lotor's plans for Allura to have his child. As much as Lance wanted to keep that knowledge from him, it was something he _needed_ to know. Allura's condition would heavily impact the rescue. If she was in too much pain to move on her own...)

"We'll need a distraction to draw the guards' attention away from where Allura is being kept," Keith finally spoke, sounding like his normal self. "Getting them outside of the castle altogether would be best. No one will be looking for intruders inside if they think the attack is taking place somewhere else. We'd still need to move fast once we were in because it won't take Lotor long to figure out what's really happening. He's not as stupid as we like to think. We need to grab her and be gone before he comes looking for her."

"What if we hid our real mission within a slave raid?" Lance suggested, feeling some of his worries slightly fade away. For the moment, the danger of Keith rushing off alone and getting himself killed seemed to have passed. But that didn't mean he was out of the woods yet. Once he realized that Lotor had probably already bedded Allura... "Sven and Romelle make those all the time. We could coordinate with them."

Ever since their escape from Doom together, Sven and Romelle had dedicated their lives to freeing the rest of the slaves. They literally spent more time on Doom than Pollux. They had an incredible success rate. Zarkon couldn't replace the stolen slaves fast enough.

"It would have to be much bigger and attention grabbing than a slave raid," Keith pointed out. "They're too routine and don't get much attention anymore." He fell quiet again as he continued to think. "We need them to believe that whatever it is it's our primary objective. They can't suspect why we're really there. I think we should cause some destruction. That will really grab their attention. There are numerous targets we can hit in the area surrounding the castle."

"We could blow up some of the slave work yards," Lance offered. "If we launch our attack early or late enough, we wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage. The slaves will be in their barracks."

Keith nodded his agreement. "That's a very good idea. We could hit several yards in succession, drawing the security forces away from the castle."

"Which brings us to the question of who goes in to get Allura and who flies on the raid," Lance said. "And don't say you're going in alone because we both know that's not happening."

He knew Keith well enough to know that he'd still want to go after Allura himself. As in control as he sounded now, it wouldn't last once they located her and Keith saw her condition. (Lance knew all too well that Allura's continuous refusals of Lotor would earn her some pretty nasty beatings. Keith would not react well to seeing his beloved covered in bruises.)

Keith put his hands up. "I wasn't even thinking it. You and I together are the best choice. We have the most experience working as a team and we know each other well enough that verbal communication can be kept at a minimum. I can't say the same about either Pidge or Hunk. Pidge may have the stealth from his ninja background, but he doesn't know me as well as he'd have to to anticipate my next move. And Hunk... Well, Hunk is Hunk."

Nothing more needed to be said. The big guy moved through life like a one man wrecking crew. You always knew when he was coming and he was the first to admit he lacked any stealth ability. His need to constantly talk was another reason why he would be a poor choice for an infiltration mission.

"I'd like Sven to be included in the mission as well," Keith added. "I need him to fly Black while you and I are inside Castle Doom. Lotor will know something's wrong if he doesn't think I'm leading the attack. Sven knows my style well enough to copy it."

Lance nodded his agreement. Although Sven had had his own way of leading when he had been the commander, Lotor would immediately recognize if the attack wasn't being conducted the way Keith would do it. He knew his enemies very well after years of fighting against them.

"I'll go try to reach Sven now," Keith stated, indicating that this initial planning session was being brought to an end. "I'm hoping he's still on Pollux and not back on Doom. I want him here as soon as possible. I'd like us to be ready to move in a day or two."

Lance didn't like the sound of that. More than anyone, Keith should know that mission planning, especially for a mission as dangerous as this one, couldn't be rushed. Two days was not a lot of time to prepare. (Would he even be out of the infirmary that soon?) It meant that Keith was definitely not as in control as he appeared to be. He was still too consumed by his fears for Allura. He had to be made to step back and see how reckless he was being.

But how?

"Try to get some rest," Keith told him, turning to go. "I'll be back later."

"Keith, wait," Lance called after him, knowing exactly what would get him to slow down. It was time to tell him about Lotor's plans for Allura. It was information he needed to know no matter how hard it was going to be to hear. "There's something I haven't told you yet.

"Lotor wants Allura to produce his heir as soon as possible."

Keith froze.

"According to Haggar, this is so important to him that he's going to start trying to get her pregnant before they even get married," Lance continued as Keith turned around, all color draining from his face. He hesitated before adding, "He's most likely already started."

An expression that was a mixture of shock and anguish crossed Keith's features.

"Oh, god, no..."

Lance knew that Keith had been operating on the assumption that Allura would be able to assist in her own rescue as she always had in the past. Lotor had always treated her differently from the rest of the team, keeping her by his side during the numerous times they'd been briefly captured. His goal had been to get her to surrender herself to him willingly and he'd only turned violent when she'd provoked him one too many times. (Usually, they'd gotten there just in time to save her from being hurt.) This new knowledge changed everything.

After fighting against Lotor's advances as both Lance and Keith knew she would, Allura would not be in any shape to do much of anything at all.

She would try to fend the monster off with every breath in her body, but none of her efforts would be enough. She didn't stand a chance against him. He would use brutal force to easily overpower her and take what he wanted.

And the sick bastard would enjoy every single second of it...

"I... I told her everything we know about his sexual habits," Lance quietly told him. "I wanted her to be prepared for...what was going to happen to her. She... She didn't want to hear it but I made her listen to it anyway. I didn't leave anything out."

Keith looked sick at the thought of their innocent princess having to find out the very things they had worked so hard to protect her from.

"How... How did she...?"

"Worse than we predicted she would," Lance admitted, experiencing the pain of watching her reactions all over again. It had been truly awful. "It was really bad, Keith. She got physically ill because of what I was telling her. We were right to keep this from her. I just wish..."

Seeing her in such agony and knowing that he had been causing it...

"You did the right thing, Lance," Keith assured him. "You didn't have a choice. You had to tell her. It's better that she knows what to expect when... When..."

Keith fell silent and Lance knew it was because he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Keith came back over to the chair he had abandoned when he had initially gone to leave and heavily sat down. He dropped his head into his hands.

"Oh, god, Allura," he moaned, his voice filled with his pain. "This is all my fault. I should never have let her go."

Lance grimaced as he realized he had succeeded in halting Keith's momentum just a little too well. He'd known the knowledge of Lotor's plans would upset him badly, but he hadn't anticipated it bringing back his misplaced guilt. He'd have to act fast to make sure Keith didn't change his mind and try to go after her himself again.

"You couldn't have stopped her, Keith," he gently told him. "You know how Allura is. She's incredibly stubborn and never backs down. Nothing short of locking her up and throwing away the key was going to keep her from going. She believed she'd be letting her people down if she didn't go."

"I should have tried," Keith insisted, raising his head. "I _knew_ something wasn't right, but I didn't do anything. I'm in charge of her security and I didn't do a thing. And look what happened. I've failed her."

"You _did_ do something," Lance reminded him. "You sent me with her, remember?"

_So blame me like you're supposed to,_ he silently urged.

He'd spent the whole encounter waiting for Keith to rage at him for not keeping Allura safe, but Keith had yet to show even one hint of anger. He was too busy switching back and forth between despairing over her capture and feeling like he failed her himself. It was completely unlike him and had Lance worried.

And then he got an idea: he'd _make_ Keith get mad at him.

And Lance knew the perfect thing to say.

He had assumed that Allura would not want anyone, especially Keith, to know that they had had sex. They had only done it to reduce the amount of pain Lotor would be able to purposely inflict when he took her for the first time. It had not been remotely romantic nor had it been just for the pleasure of the experience. (Not that it _hadn't_ been immensely pleasurable...) But given his dating habits, others, especially the man who was desperately in love with Allura, might not see it that way.

And that was exactly what he was counting on.

"Uh, Keith, there's another thing I haven't told you yet," he began. "And you're not going to like it."

Keith looked at him warily. "What do you mean?"

"I told you how upset Allura was when I explained to her about what Lotor was going to do to her," he continued. "She became adamant that she didn't want him to be the first man to touch her, especially after I told her that a woman's first time was painful and that Lotor especially enjoyed causing that pain. And since I knew she wasn't going to have a choice in the matter, I, uh... I offered to help her."

Keith's eyes widened as he realized what he was about to be told.

"Oh, god, Lance. Please tell me you didn't."

"What else could I do for her?" he went on, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion. "Haggar had made it pretty obvious that there was no escape for either of us and I was sure I was a dead man. Allura's first sexual experience didn't need to be with that monster. So, as I said, I offered my help.

"And she accepted."

"Oh, god. Oh, god," was all Keith said as he stood up from his chair and moved away, his back towards Lance. "Allura..."

Lance waited patiently for Keith to lash out at him. So far, his reaction was not one of anger. Upset and anguished, yes, but not angry. It made Lance uneasy. Something wasn't right.

Finally, after several heavy moments of silence, Keith spoke again. There was no anger in his voice. "I know you truly thought you were helping her, but what you did was one of the worst things you could have possibly done."

"I don't understand," Lance said, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Keith was definitely upset, but not for the reason or in the way Lance thought he would have been. Keith should have been trying to punch his lights out by now. Why wasn't he?

Keith turned to face him again. "Lotor views Allura as his property, Lance. In his eyes, no one can touch her but him. When he finds out she's not a virgin..."

"I assumed he'd be pissed," Lance honestly told him. "Allura understood he would be. I took away part of his-"

"He'll see her as unfaithful," Keith cut him off, stunning him. "Lotor has himself convinced that Allura should love him as much as he thinks he loves her. She shouldn't even be as much as _looking_ at other men when she has him. It will enrage him that she's no longer a virgin. As far as he's concerned, she's now cheated on him.

"And he'll punish her severely for it."

"Oh, my god," Lance breathed as he realized the extent of Lotor's insanity.

He'd known it would make him mad and that he'd probably slap Allura around a little (slaps were a lot better than some of the other things he was going to do to her), but honestly didn't think it would change much.

Had he been wrong?

"What he does to his other women will pale in comparison," Keith went on. "That's just his normal sexual enjoyment. He'll want Allura to suffer for what he feels she's done to him. He will _make_ her suffer."

"You don't think...?" He couldn't even bring himself to say it.

"No," Keith shook his head. "Not purposely. His obsession with her runs too deep for him to just discard her. Remember, he thinks he loves her and he's determined to have her as his queen. I don't think that's going to change. His goal will be to make her sorry for what she's done. He will keep punishing her until he gets the apology he wants."

"And Allura won't give it to him," Lance knew.

"No."

Lance felt sick. This was all his fault. It had been his idea to be Allura's first. He'd thought he was helping her. Instead...

"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I... I didn't know. I thought..."

"I know, Lance. Believe me, I know." He paused and then added, "He's going to want her to tell him who she gave herself to."

"And she won't tell him that either," Lance said, knowing he'll hurt her even more for keeping that information from him. "She'll try to protect me even though she thinks I'm dead."

"Yes."

A silence fell between them once again. Lance didn't know what else to say. He'd brought up Lotor's plans for Allura as a way of keeping Keith from rushing the rescue, but now he wondered if that had been the right thing to do. He'd only been anticipating having to deal with the type of injuries that Lotor would inflict during his idea of sex.

Now, because of his actions, he knew he had been dead wrong.

He couldn't even begin to imagine how bad her condition would be by the time they finally reached her.

And it was all his fault.

Suddenly, he understood _exactly_ how Keith was feeling.

"I need to contact Sven," Keith finally spoke, breaking the silence. "And then I'll inform Coran and the others of exactly what's happened. I'll be back later."

"Okay," Lance said, not knowing how else to respond. "I'll be here."

Keith nodded and turned to go.

"Feel better," he said, almost as an afterthought.

_Yeah, right,_ Lance silently commented as he laid back down. As if he could ever feel better again after knowing what he'd done to Allura.

"I'll do my best," he said aloud.

And then without another word Keith left, leaving Lance alone with his guilt and pain.

((()))

Allura kept her eyes to the ground as she was led through the hallways of Castle Doom. She didn't want to see the faces that went with all the eyes that she knew had to be on her.

She knew that her procession must have been quite an unusual sight: a woman who was clearly a prisoner being escorted by both robot guards and harem slaves (Haggar had left them almost immediately upon disembarking the ship to go do who-knew-what in another part of the castle), but who was dressed as if she were going to a formal affair. She was wearing a demure pink gown that even she had to admit (if only to herself) was gorgeous. (Neelyn had informed her that Lotor had picked it out for her himself. As if giving her something other than the barely-there attire worn by every other female slave in his harem would change how she felt about him.) Her hair had been immaculately styled in an updo and make-up lightly but skillfully applied to her face. (Neelyn had done all of the work herself. She had told Allura that on her planet, before she and her people had been conquered and enslaved by Doom, she had worked as a beautician.) The only jewelry she'd been given was a small necklace. (The less items he would have to remove from her body before...) Lotor was clearly planning on trying to entice her to come to his bed willingly by treating her as anything but the prisoner she was.

He would not be happy when he didn't achieve his desired result.

And then he'd take her anyway.

She shuddered at the thought.

She knew sex was inevitable especially during this first encounter. Haggar had told her that Lotor wanted her pregnant before the wedding if possible. That meant he was going to bed her at every opportunity until she was. She knew it would only be so long before he lost patience with her refusals to give in to his attempts at seduction. (Knowing Lotor, his idea of seducing her would be making promises of riches and power.) That would be when he simply forced himself on her.

And that, according to Lance, would be the beginning of horrendous pain unlike anything she had ever known.

A wave of nausea crashed over her, but she quickly forced it back down. She had to be strong and not show any reaction of any kind.

Not if she had any hope for her new plan to work.

After her last attempt at dying had failed and after she had cried until she had no tears left, Allura had gotten one final idea of how she could achieve her desired death: she would make sure that Lotor tired of her quickly and ultimately disposed of her. She would be pliant and unresponsive to every atrocity he inflicted upon her. According to Lance, Lotor enjoyed it when his women fought him and reacted to the pain he caused them. Her hope was that he'd lose interest in her when all she did was lay on the bed silently and not resist anything he did to her. It would be the hardest thing she ever had to do, but it would be worth it if it resulted in her death as she hoped it would.

She would do anything in her power to escape this hell her life had become.

Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't still terrified out of her mind.

What Lotor would do to her _before_ he finally decided to kill her...

After walking for what seemed like years, the group finally came to a stop.

"Here we are," Neelyn quietly spoke from her place in front of her. She had been leading the group through the castle. "Your personal quarters."

Allura raised her head to find that she was standing in front of an ornate door.

"I hope you'll find it to your liking," Neelyn continued as she placed a key in the lock. "His Highness chose it for you himself."

She was unsurprised by the pronouncement. Now that he had her and knew she couldn't get away, Lotor was more determined than ever to win her love. And apparently he thought he could do it with material things. It showed how little he knew about the woman he claimed to love and wanted to marry.

Neelyn turned the key and opened the door.

"Go ahead," she urged, gesturing for Allura to go in.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself for whatever she was going to find, she entered the room.

And found that it made the quarters she had been in on the ship pale in comparison.

It was the most luxuriously appointed space she had ever seen. The single room was the size of a small apartment with areas clearly designated for different functions. The majority of the floor was covered in plush carpeting with the exception of the small dining and kitchen area. The color scheme was various shades of white and pink. (At Lotor's behest, she was sure. It made her wonder how long this place had been waiting for her. There was no way it had been decorated in the not much more than a day since her capture.) There were several doors in the walls, most of which were probably closets while at least one had to lead to a bathroom.

In short, it was a room fit for a queen.

However, her eyes were immediately drawn to the huge canopy bed against the far wall.

It was the place where Lotor would do things to her that she didn't even want to imagine.

Things that, according to Lance, would leave her in agony...

"My princess is pleased with her new home?"

Allura stiffened as _he_ spoke from somewhere behind her.

_No! Oh, no!_

Her time had just run out.

"I tried to find a room whose beauty matched your own, which of course was an impossible task," he said conversationally and Allura could tell that he was moving closer to her. She did not want to turn around. She did not want to see how he was dressed.

_If_ he was dressed...

She found herself starting to hyperventilate but quickly forced her breathing to even out. She could not let him know how badly his presence was affecting her. How _terrified_ of him she was... It would only excite him more and cause him to take her that much faster.

"You, my love, are perfection," he continued and his voice was even nearer now. "These quarters were the closest I could manage. They are the finest in the castle. And now they belong to you."

Suddenly, his hands were on her arms and her blood froze.

"Just as you belong to me," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her back against him.

To her utter horror, she could feel his arousal as she was pressed against him.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

He then kissed her neck.

If this had been any other day, she would have wrenched herself out of his grasp and slapped him for daring to touch her that way. She would have been confident that as enraged as she would make him, he would not have a chance to harm her because her friends would save her just in time. _Keith_ would come for her like he always did and protect her from Lotor's wrath.

But today there'd be no rescue. Today, Keith would not come at the last minute to save her. Today, she was a prisoner of Doom and there was no one coming for her because no one knew where she was.

And Keith didn't even know that she was in any danger...

She was truly alone and at Lotor's mercy.

"So beautiful," Lotor murmured as he slid his hands onto her chest and tightly squeezed her breasts, his sharp nails digging into her through her clothes, as he continued to kiss her neck and shoulders.

Allura kept herself as still as possible despite the intense pain he was causing her. She knew that any reaction would only excite him more.

_Oh, please let this work,_ she silently pleaded to every god and goddess she knew. She knew she couldn't avoid having him take her, but perhaps he would not spend that much time with her when he didn't get the desired responses from her.

The thought of being freed through death gave her the strength to endure what was being done...what was _going_ to be done...to her.

"How long I have waited for this moment," he continued to speak, his hands leaving her breasts and sliding down to her waist. "And I'm finding it to be very much worth the wait."

He then gripped her hips and turned her around to face him.

Allura kept her eyes downcast. She did not want him to see the sheer terror in them. The sight would only serve to spur him on.

She saw that his feet and legs were bare, which verified that he had come to her with only one purpose in mind. She hoped she would not be forced to see the rest of his naked body.

"You will look at me when I'm speaking to you," he ordered, one of his hands leaving her waist to grip her chin. He roughly tilted her face up and she knew she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

"My beautiful Allura," he said in what she guessed he thought was a gentle voice. "You are finally mine. Allow me to show you how much I love you."

He kissed her then and it took every ounce of control she had not to pull away. The kiss was rough and possessive. There was none of the warmth and gentleness she had experienced with Lance. It was a kiss meant to brand her as his own. She wanted nothing more than for it to end.

Briefly, she considered using the same tactic she had used when she had had sex with Lance and pretended that she was with Keith, but she knew that would be the worst thing she could do. Not only would she ultimately be hurting herself when she realized who she was truly with, but she would be encouraging Lotor when she involuntarily responded to his ministrations. Because if she believed she was with Keith...

Finally, he pulled away.

"Nothing to say?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised by her lack of resistance. "Isn't this where you'd usually call me a beast or a monster?"

She remained silent.

He studied her for a moment and then he gave her a smile that sent chills down her spine.

"I believe I know what you are doing, my sweet," he said, "and I can assure you that your efforts are being wasted. I am assuming you have been told how I use my slaves to relieve my needs. How I..._hurt_ them. They are simply a means to an end. I need a way to take out my frustrations and they are mere slaves. But you, my love, are no slave. You, my princess, are the woman I love and intend to have as my wife. I will _never_ harm you, Allura.

"You are to be cherished and treated like the goddess that you are," he informed her as he slid his hands off her waist and up her back. "And I will introduce you to pleasures that are unlike anything you have ever known.

"You will come to crave my touch."

Allura shuddered at the horrifying pronouncement as her heart sank. In one fell swoop, Lotor had utterly taken away her last and only hope of escape. With his own words, he'd told her that he was not expecting her to be anything like his other women and he would not treat her like he treated them either.

What was she going to do now? How could she get him to kill her?

He dropped his hands from her back and as he moved behind her, she briefly caught a glimpse his chest. He was extremely broad and muscular, which only served to remind her how strong he was. How easily he could _hurt_ her if he wanted to...

There was a kiss placed on the back of neck right above the chain from the necklace she wore.

"I can make you happy if you let me," he spoke as there was a slight tug on the chain as he undid the clasp. "Everything and anything you desire will be yours, my Allura."

The necklace was taken from her throat and almost immediately she felt his fingers reach into her hair and begin to removed the pins that held it in place.

"You will want for nothing," he went on as he worked to release her hair. "I will never refuse you anything you ask of me." He pulled the last pin and he smoothed her now freed hair along her neck and back. "And as my queen, you will have the power to do whatever you want without anyone's permission. Your every command will have to be obeyed."

It was then that his hands found the first hook on the back of her dress.

She shut her eyes and willed herself to stay strong. She could not cry.

She _would_ not cry.

"You will soon come to regret all of the time that was wasted fighting against me," he told her as if it would become true simply because he declared it to be. He continued to unfasten the dress' hooks one by one. "Time that could have been spent doing other things.

"_Pleasurable_ things."

The last hook was undone and he slid the top of the dress off her shoulders and down her arms.

Reflexively, she brought her arms to her chest to keep it from becoming exposed. Although she was wearing a bra, it was made of a transparent lacy material that hid nothing from view. (She had found the choice strange because of the modest design of the dress, but Neelyn had simply told her that it was what Lotor wanted her to wear.) Being seen in it would be almost the same as if she were naked.

Lotor chuckled at her futile action and simply pushed her hair over her left shoulder as he started to nuzzle the crook on the right side of her neck.

The slow pace was pure torture. How she wished he would just do what he wanted to do so it would be over and done with for this first session at least. (She didn't even want to guess how often he would have sex with her to ensure the desired pregnancy.) But Lotor was determined to romance her in the hopes that she would enjoy the things he was doing to her. Which made the experience all the more horrendous.

He started kissing his way up her neck until he reached her ear. As Lance had done before him, he began to suck on her earlobe. Yet what she had found extremely arousing and pleasurable with Lance now left her sick and repulsed. Just knowing who was doing it to her was more than enough to make her violently ill.

She wondered how different she would feel if it were Keith kissing her instead of her hated enemy. Would it be similar to what she experienced with Lance or would it, as Lance has assured her it would, be so much better? He had told her that there was a difference between sex and making love and that she would know the difference when she was with Keith.

The fact that she would never know made her want to sob.

_I love you, Keith,_ she tearfully thought as Lotor moved his hands to the back of her bra. _I wish I could have told you._

"I love you, Allura," Lotor crooned in her ear as he unfastened her bra and pulled it from her body. "One day soon you will love me in return."

_Never!_ she silently cried. _I hate you! I will never stop hating you!_

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms away from her body so that her dress would fall down. When it was only being held up by the top being caught on her arms, he tugged it down and over her hands, leaving her wearing nothing but the tiny pair of panties that matched the bra (they were strangely designed, having no actual backside but instead what appeared to be a string that left her buttocks exposed) and her shoes.

His hands returned to her body and she was again pressed against him. Now that the barrier of her dress had been removed, she had an unhindered feel of his... His... She didn't even want to speak the word even in her mind. It felt so large...

Her fear and nausea rose at the thought of it being placed inside her body.

_Repeatedly._

Lotor's hands ran down the front of her body. When they reached the top of the small, strange panties, only one hand continued down and was pushed between her legs.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

"Now, my love," he spoke in a quiet voice as his fingers worked their way under the panties, "allow me to introduce you to the pleasures of the flesh."

With that, his fingers moved to touch her in the place only one other person had.

Allura suppressed the gasp that threatened to leave her lips at the intrusion, her whole body stiffening. What had felt so wonderful and good when Lance had touched her now only frightened her. Did this mean that Lotor planned on having sex with her while standing? Was that even physically possible?

He easily found her entrance and pushed a finger in, creating a burning pain as he did.

She bit back the cry that was building in her throat.

Lotor made a disappointed sound. "Ah, my love, it seems that I have been unable to arouse you despite all my efforts." He began to move his finger around inside of her, causing her more pain. He was at a bad angle and his long nail scraped her sensitive inner skin. "It is unfortunate yet unsurprising." He sighed and withdrew his finger, the pain instantly ending. "I had hoped that our first time together would be more enjoyable for you."

Allura couldn't believe the audacity of the statement. He thought she'd _enjoy_ having sex with _him_? The monster intent on destroying her world and her people? He was more egotistical and insane than she'd thought possible.

At the same time, she felt a small flame of renewed hope ignite within her. He was clearly disappointed by her resistance to his amorous intentions. Maybe he would decide that she wasn't worth all the effort after all?

He removed his hand entirely from between her legs and turned her around to face him again.

Remembering what he had said before about looking at him while he was speaking to her, she kept her eyes on his. (It was better than looking down and possibly seeing..._that._)

"Allura, Allura, Allura," he said in an admonishing tone. "My beautiful and innocent princess, do you have any idea what the consequences are of your continued refusal to allow yourself to feel anything other than hatred towards me? Pain, my love. Pain that I've been told can be excruciating for a woman. Pain that could easily be avoided if you'd let yourself see me as I truly am, the man who loves you and only wishes to please you."

_Oh, gods, he's still going to go through with it,_ she realized, her fear rising once again as her briefly resurrected hope died a second and final death. _No...no...no..._

If placing a single finger within her had hurt her so badly...

"Let yourself love me," he urged. "Love me as I love you." He took one of her hands in his. "_Feel_ how much I love you."

With that, he took her hand and wrapped it around his arousal.

It took all of the self-control she possessed not to rip her hand away from the...the..._thing_ that pulsed in her palm. It was the most disgusting act she'd ever had to do.

"Love me," he commanded as he moved in and roughly kissed her again.

Overwhelmed by her fear and disgust, she was unable to keep the tears from falling from her eyes any longer.

She didn't know what to do now. She had placed all of her hopes in making Lotor want to get rid of her for not pleasing him. But he had just proven to her that nothing was going to ever make him tire of her. He was determined to have her as his wife and queen no matter what. Not even her hatred of him seemed to deter him. She was trapped with no hope of ever escaping.

All she wanted was to die.

Still kissing her, Lotor released his hold on her hand, allowing her to remove it from where he had trapped it, and lifted her into his arms. He began walking with her.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

The time she had been dreading had arrived.

Lotor was going to finally take her.

She began to cry openly.

Lotor broke the kiss only to deposit her on the edge of the bed.

"At last you begin to show some emotion," he commented as he removed her shoes from her feet. "Why do you cry, my princess? All I want to do is make love to you. I'm sorry it will hurt you, but that is no one's fault but your own. As soon as you let yourself love me, there will be no pain."

"I'll never love you," she whispered as he got into the bed with her, knowing that it no longer mattered what she did or said. "Why can't you accept that? You should just kill me."

Lotor chuckled as he effortlessly lifted her and pulled her further back on the bed. "After I fought so long and so hard to possess you, my princess? I think not. No, you are destined to be my queen. There is no other woman I want by my side. You should let go of your hate and embrace your glorious future with me." He ran a hand up and down the front of her body. "Love me as I love you."

"I hate you," she replied. "You're a monster."

He openly laughed. "As we have already established on numerous occasions. Have you not come up with any new names to call me?"

Having nothing else to say, she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"You will look at me, Allura," he commanded and she instantly opened her eyes again. "I want you to see everything. I want you to witness my love for you."

He moved over her and she finally saw the very part of him she'd been trying to avoid. Touching it had been horrifying enough. But to now _see_ it...

It was worse than she'd imagined.

How did he expect it to fit inside of her?

He reached out and literally ripped the tiny panties from her body.

"You don't need these anymore."

She began to hyperventilate as he pushed her legs apart.

"It is time to make you completely mine, my Allura," he spoke, moving between them. He reached out with his hand and caressed her, making her shudder in revulsion. "I apologize in advance for hurting you but you must remember that it is all your own fault."

_Oh, please, no!_ she cried to herself as he stretched out over her. _Gods no!_

He then slightly pushed his way into her and, as promised, a pain more powerful than any she had ever known blossomed from the invasion. It was a thousand times worse than what she had felt with Lance.

Unable to stop herself, she cried out.

"Oh, Allura," he breathed. "You feel better than I ever imagined. I love you, my princess."

The pain was unbearable. She felt as if she were being ripped apart from the inside.

He then moved again, pushing his way slowly into her, the movement not stopping until he was completely inside of her.

A strange look crossed his face as he became very still.

Her fright rose as she wondered what was happening. Why had he stopped moving? Was he waiting for her to do something? She was in too much agony to move.

Suddenly, his expression turned furious and he violently slapped her across the face.

"You harlot!" he raged at her, slapping her again before she had time to recover from the first blow. "You whore!"

He hit her a third time before roughly withdrawing from her body.

She stared at him, frozen with shock, pain, and fear.

"How dare you! You are _mine,_ Allura! _Mine!_"

He hit her again even more forcefully than before, knocking her onto her side. There was the sudden taste of blood in her mouth.

Bringing a shaking hand to her stinging cheek, she realized what had happened: he had discovered that she was not a virgin.

_Thank you, Lance._

Lotor's fury over the precious gift Lance had given her gave her one last burst of hope. Lance had warned her that Lotor would be infuriated when he learned that he wasn't the first man to touch her. But was he angry enough to kill her over it?

She prayed to every single god she knew that he was.

It would bring this nightmare to a swift end.

"How could you do this to me?" Lotor railed at her. "How could you betray me this way? I _love_ you, Allura! How could you hurt me so badly?"

She stared at him in disbelief. She had hurt him? He was the one forcing himself on her but _she_ had hurt _him_? He was completely mad!

Yet if she could somehow redirect all of his anger and insanity into a murderous rage towards her...

"Who was it?" he demanded, forcefully slapping her again on the same cheek that was already screaming in pain. "Who dared touch you? I know it was one of _them._ Who? Was it that damned commander? I've seen the way he looks at you. I demand you tell me who it was!"

Seeing her chance to anger him beyond all reason, she took a deep breath and, looking him directly in the eyes, calmly said in her most regal voice, "All of them."

If it was physically possible, the expression of fury on his face grew even more enraged. He pulled back his hand and let loose a slap so hard that it caused her to fall from the bed.

Allura let out a scream as she painfully landed on her right shoulder.

She rolled onto her stomach and just laid still for a moment, multiple parts of her body burning with pain. Her shoulder was just one more.

"Get up!" Lotor screamed at her and she felt the vibration in the floor as he got off of the bed and stalked over to where she lay.

There was a new and intense pain as he kicked her in the stomach, ripping another scream from her throat. "I said get up, Allura!"

She tried to push herself off the ground but she found herself unable to use her right arm at all, her shoulder on fire.

Lotor kicked her again and again, his foot landing either on her stomach or chest. "Get up!"

Allura tried to scream with each impact, but the wind had been knocked out of her. All she could do was silently cry her pain.

When he finally stopped kicking her, she curled herself up into a fetal position.

_Kill me please,_ she silently begged, her voice gone for the moment. _Please end it now._

Lotor let loose a roar of frustration before grabbing her by her bad arm and wrenching her to her feet.

She cried out again as she was thrown back onto the bed.

"Oh, my Allura," he spoke in a suddenly gentle voice, surprising her as he crawled into the bed beside her. He pulled her against him, her back pressed into his front. He began to caress her body. It was as if his anger of only seconds ago had vanished completely. "I'm so sorry I had to do that, but you must realize how badly you've hurt me. I don't understand how you could do this to me. You've known my feelings for you and my intention to make you my wife for years. Why have you betrayed me in this way? Why couldn't you have waited for me?"

Allura braced herself, wondering if this was it. Would he finally end her life?

"Do you know that I would be within my rights if I killed you right now?" he continued, still stroking his hand up and down her body. "You are not yet my wife. I could simply say that you were a slave that greatly displeased me and no one would question it." He kissed her hair. "But it is because I love you so much and want you as my queen that I will spare your life. You are so young, my princess. Sometimes I forget how very young you are. I believe you simply made a youthful mistake. A mistake for which you must be punished, but still a mistake. And mistakes can always be forgiven."

_No! No! No!_ she protested as she felt her last chance at freedom drain away. She had once again underestimated his insane obsession with her.

Death would not be coming any time soon.

He pushed her away from his body and maneuvered her onto her hands and knees. Every part of her he had attacked was on fire and if it weren't for his hand pressed against her chest, she would have never remained upright.

Again, she felt her legs being moved apart.

_Oh, gods!_

After everything, he still intended to have sex with her.

"Please, Lotor, no," she begged in a quiet voice. "Please."

His only answer was to push himself back into her from behind, his other hand holding her immobile against his hips.

She sobbed at the burning agony he was creating inside of her. Of all the pain he had inflicted on her, this was by far the worst.

"You belong to me, Allura," he decreed as he began to move within her. "No other man will ever touch you again."

"Please stop..."

"You are mine alone."

"Please..."

She cried out again and again as he pumped in and out of her with ever increasing speed and force. There were no words to describe how unbearable the pain was. There was nothing gentle or remotely caring about what he was doing to her. She wished she would pass out so she didn't have to feel anything anymore.

She wouldn't have to hear Lotor's sounds of pleasure as he brutally used her body for his own enjoyment.

She wished she were dead.

His hands traveled up her body until he was clenching her breasts, painfully squeezing them, his nails puncturing her skin.

She continued to sob, wanting it to end.

Finally, after an eternity, she heard him groan and there was a sudden wet warmth inside of her.

From her experience with Lance, she knew what that meant.

It was at last over.

_Thank the gods._

For a few precious moments, he did nothing except breath hard and fondle her breasts, remaining inside her the entire time.

Allura waited for the painful burning to subside, but it continued to throb. She wondered if the agony would ever come to an end. (She had experienced some discomfort after she had been with Lance, but that had been slight and faded fairly quickly. It was nothing compared to what she was feeling now.)

Lotor leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You were magnificent, my love. I have to have you again immediately."

Her eyes widened at his words and before she could react, he was pulling out of her and flipping her onto her back. Then he was on top of her, pushing himself back inside.

_No!_

But before he had made much progress, he stopped and pulled himself back out.

"Oh, my love," he murmured, his fingers taking over between her legs, gently manipulating her, the light touches painful to her tortured body. "I apologize for that. It's just that I've waited so long for you that I couldn't help myself. I realize how unfair I was to you. I will go much slower this time. After all, now that you're mine we have all the time in the universe."

Allura quietly cried as he began to kiss and suck her neck in much the same way as Lance had. But where Lance's sweet touch had brought new feelings to life within her, Lotor's only sickened her. Beneath her pain, she felt dirty and ill. All she wanted was to die.

She closed her eyes as Lotor traveled lower down her body, knowing he was too busy to demand that she continue to watch him. She didn't want to see any more.

In her mind, she pictured her beloved. How she wished she was with him instead of the monster that was now sucking on her breasts. Keith, she knew, would never hurt her the way Lotor had. He would only bring her the most exquisite pleasure that Lotor could only dream about giving her.

But she knew it was not to be. She would never see Keith again.

She would never get to tell him how she felt.

_I love you so much. I wish I could have made love with you._

Lotor continued his downward journey, leaving no part of her untouched. As with his kisses, she got the impression that he was marking her as his property, which is exactly what she was.

After he married her, she would be a queen in name only. Lotor may claim that he loved her and that she'd have the power to do anything she wanted as his wife, but she was no more than his prisoner. The moment she did something he did not approve of, she would be punished. She'd have no rights and no freedom.

And any child she gave birth to...

Children were the very reason he was tormenting her in this way. Lotor wanted them with her, but would she be allowed to be a part of their lives at all? She knew Lotor would never approve of her ideas of mothering. Would she be allowed to keep and raise any children she gave birth to or would they be taken from her almost immediately to be brought up by a Drule caretaker? What would they be told to think of her, their mother? Would they-

The sudden pain ignited between her legs returned her mind to the present as Lotor's mouth touched her sore entrance.

Involuntarily, she pulled away from him.

Lotor looked up at her, an amused smile on his face.

"I warned you, my love. I told you that there'd be pain. Until you learn to love me, it will always be like this for you."

"No more, please," she begged him. "It hurts so much."

"But I'm not ready to stop just yet, my Allura," he informed her, moving his body back over hers. "Not until I get my release."

With that said, he pushed himself back into her.

She cried out her pain. It hurt so much...

Taking the same brutal pace as before, Lotor slammed himself into her again and again until he achieved his climax.

When he pulled himself out of her, she immediately curled herself into a ball so he couldn't take her again. Her pain was too bad. Her body couldn't deal with another invasion just yet.

"I did warn you, Allura," he repeated. "That pain you feel is your own fault. Perhaps your feelings towards me will be a little different when I return to you later."

_Later?! He's going to do this to me again _today_? Oh, gods... I can't... I can't..._

The thought of him tormenting her this way again so soon overwhelmed her. How could he expect her to go through this again while she was still in agony?

Perhaps she would be granted her wish of death after all. There was no way her body could physically withstand this kind of torture for long. There was only so much she could take before her body would shut down.

Lotor brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek.

"I will see you soon, my princess."

He moved away from her and she felt the mattress give way as he got up from the bed.

When she was sure he was far enough away, Allura began to sob.

((()))

Neelyn sat on a bench across the hall from the princess's quarters trying not to think about what was going on behind the closed door. Joandra and the softly crying Elsee were on either side of her and she held one of their hands in each of her own. The waiting for Lotor to emerge was pure torture.

Waiting that had been made worse by the horrible, pain-filled screams that had come from somewhere beyond the door.

Screams far worse than any she'd ever heard in the near-year since she'd been enslaved...

It was not unusual to hear screaming in the harem. Lotor was not known for being gentle with his women and had left more than one with serious injuries after a sex session. He hit more often than he kissed and he was very rough during intercourse. (He'd nearly dislocated Neelyn's hip once when he'd violently pulled her by the leg to reposition her on the bed.) But the screams had never sounded anything like the ones coming from the princess.

_These_ sounded like someone being tortured.

And he had _never_ been with a woman as long as he'd already been with Allura...

What was he doing to her in there?

_The poor girl,_ Neelyn thought, her heart once again breaking for the princess she barely knew.

She'd never seen anyone as defeated as Allura had been after her escape attempt on the ship had failed. The princess, who had been fiercely defiant only minutes before, had turned completely inward. She'd barely uttered a word since, crying virtually the entire rest of the way to Doom. Neelyn had nearly started crying herself, the poor girl's pain almost overwhelming her.

To keep from breaking down, she'd started telling Allura about herself and where she'd come from. She didn't know if Allura had truly paid any attention to her, but it had felt good to speak about her family and Rasen again.

Rasen.

Her love.

Her fiancé.

She didn't even know if he was still alive. She hadn't seen him since that horrible day when Doom had come to Geoas. They'd both been at work when Zarkon's ships had started landing everywhere, she at her salon and he at his office across the city. The robot soldiers had just appeared and started rounding everyone up into the slave ships. She'd been separated from everyone she knew and found herself surrounded by complete strangers.

How she'd cried while on that ship. She'd cried for her parents and her siblings and everyone she'd ever known and loved.

For Rasen.

She'd cried until she couldn't cry any more.

And she hadn't cried again since.

The trip from Geoas to Doom had taken countless hours. The hold where she and her fellow prisoners had been kept had been dark and cold. Not even being pressed closely against other people had been enough to conquer the chill of space. They had not been provided with any food or water and anything they had with them at their time of capture had been forcibly taken from them. No one, not the Drule officers in command or the robot soldiers, had bothered to check on them once during the journey.

Neelyn had literally watched a man die in front of her when his heart had given out from the fright.

Then the ship had landed and the robots had finally reappeared. Just as they'd herded everyone aboard the ship, they herded them right back out. More robots along with Drule officers had been waiting for them in the hangar and the culling process had begun. Anyone deemed unfit for hard labor had been separated from the main group. The unfit included the very young, the very old, and the infirm. (No discriminations had been made when removing them from their home world.) As Neelyn had later learned, this new group was further divided into those who were given positions in the castle, those who went straight to the arena to be killed by Robeasts, and those who were killed outright for being useless in any capacity.

Neelyn had made it through that process only to find herself separated from the main group for a different reason: her appearance.

As she soon found out, Lotor had members of his personal staff attend the arrival of every slave shipment. Their job was to select new additions for his harem. (As Lotor preferred virgins, it was essential that new women be constantly brought in to insure that there was always at least one virgin available for him. And there were always at least one or two among the new arrivals.) Her blonde hair and pretty face had immediately attracted their attention and she had been instantly pulled from the main group. Five other women from her planet joined her in what she soon learned was considered an "honor" among slaves on Planet Doom.

And as she also later learned, her selection for the harem had been unusual because of her age. Most of the slaves picked were in their teens because girls that age usually tended to be virgins. Neelyn had been twenty-five at the time. (And most definitely not a virgin. She and Rasen had been living together since their engagement the year before. They would have been married in four months...) But she was told that since Lotor valued beauty above all else, her age was considered irrelevant. Her beauty and that fact that she had blonde hair were all that mattered. (For the first time in her life, Neelyn had cursed the looks that had brought her so much joy in her life. Until that moment, she had considered her beauty a blessing from the gods.)

It had not taken her long to adjust to her new existence. The life of a slave in Lotor's harem was very simple. When not dancing for, serving, or having sex with the prince, a slave was allowed to spend her free time however she wished. There were numerous activities to participate in. The only two rules were that she had to instantly obey Lotor when given an order and she could not leave the enclosed walls of the harem. Although restrictive, it kept them safe from all dangers. (Dangers that did not come from Lotor himself...)

The first time Lotor had selected her for sex had been nerve-wracking. It had been three days after her arrival and she'd heard numerous horror stories from her new companions. She'd expected him to beat her the moment he'd gotten her alone.

But he hadn't. Instead he'd ordered her to undress and get into the bed. Neelyn had immediately complied, seeing no point in doing anything other than what she was told. She had not wanted to provoke him. Much to her surprise, her instant obedience had pleased Lotor and he had proceeded to have sex with her without any of the violent acts she'd repeatedly been told about. (He'd been rough with her, but it was no worse than some of the techniques she and Rasen had experimented with.) When he'd finished, he'd simply dressed and left, leaving a bewildered yet relieved Neelyn alone in the room.

The next several times he'd chosen her had been similar with one or two exceptions when he'd been in a foul mood. (He had hit her without provocation and knocked her to the floor before ripping her clothes off and had slapped her several more times during intercourse. They had never made it to the bed in those instances.) It had not taken her long to realize that absolute obedience was the key to surviving her new life. If one did not resist Lotor, he had no reason to inflict pain beyond that caused by his normal version of intercourse. She made a point of passing her knowledge on to every new slave brought into the harem, but not everyone listened.

And they suffered for it.

Yet she couldn't imagine the poor, spiritless princess putting up any kind of fight at all. She had been completely devoid of any emotion other than despair when led to her quarters.

But why else would he be-?

The sound of the opening chamber door interrupted her thoughts.

Lotor had finally finished with Allura.

Neelyn immediately released her hold on Joandra and Elsee's hands and rose to her feet, bowing her head. Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, she saw her two companions do the same.

Knowing her eyes were hidden by her long hair, Neelyn raised them just enough so she could see across the hall.

She watched as Lotor emerged from the bedroom, the familiar self-satisfied smile he always wore after a particularly enjoyable session on his face. And the smile was all he was wearing as he had not bothered to put any clothing back on after finishing with the princess. His robe was draped over his arm.

Much to Neelyn's horror, there was blood smeared over various parts of his anatomy.

Her mind returned to the terrible screams she'd heard ripped from Allura's throat.

What had he done to her?

She feared the princess's condition.

"See that she is cleaned up immediately," Lotor instructed them casually, sounding very pleased with himself. "But don't bother dressing her. I'll be returning within the hour."

Neelyn held back the horrified gasp that threatened to come forth. He was going to have his way with her again so soon? After he'd so clearly inflicted severe injuries to her body? Before she had the slightest chance to begin recovering? What was he thinking?

But, "Yes, Your Highness" was all she said.

What else could she say? If his orders were not obeyed, she, Joandra, and Elsee would all be punished. As bad as she felt for the princess, she had to think of her young companions. They did not deserve to be harmed because of her own compassion. (She'd gained a reputation as something of a mother figure among many of the younger members of the harem.) There was nothing she could do for the princess.

"Good," Lotor continued, his pleasure at whatever he had done still evident in his voice.

Again, Neelyn tried to imagine the princess resisting Lotor, but she was unable to believe the poor girl capable of putting up any kind of struggle. The princess who had passed through that door had had no fight left in her. Anything Lotor had done to her had had to have been unprovoked.

Which made no sense. Lotor wanted Allura as his wife. He'd always spoken of her with the closest version of affection he could manage. So why had he hurt her so badly? What in the universe could a girl who was clearly broken do to earn such a cruel and brutal treatment?

"Her injuries are not to be attended to," Lotor added as he put on his robe. "My bride-to-be is undergoing a punishment and her pain is part of that punishment. You are to give her nothing for her pain no matter how much she begs you for it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Neelyn again answered for all three of them, wondering what the princess had done to earn a "punishment".

She knew she would have to be strong for Joandra and Elsee when they reached the princess's side. Based on the amount of her blood on Lotor's body, Allura would be in terrible shape. Her two young companions would not react well to the sight and would most likely want to flee. (Of the two, Elsee would be the most likely to want to disobey orders and tend to her injuries. The sixteen year old was naturally emotional and empathetic. Joandra, on the other hand, had been beaten several times for her poor sexual performance, making her extra obedient.) It would be her job to keep them on task.

And to perhaps find a way to comfort Allura that would not leave any physical evidence...

"I will be back soon."

Lotor finished tying his robe and then walked off without another word.

Neelyn turned her attention to Joandra and Elsee, both of their faces pale and confused.

"I don't understand," Elsee said softly. "She's going to be his queen. He said he loved her. Why would he...?"

She pulled Elsee against her.

"I don't know, sweet one," she gently told her. "But what I do know is that His Highness doesn't know the meaning of the word 'love.' His reasons for wanting to marry her go no further than her appearance."

"He hurt her so badly," Elsee spoke again, her voice still quiet. "I... I've never heard anyone scream that way before."

"I haven't either," Joandra added matter-of-factly. "She must have displeased him in some way. More than any other one of us ever has. I've never seen so much blood..." She shuddered.

Neelyn held her other arm out to her, but Joandra shook her head, refusing as always to show any sign of her unhappiness.

"We should probably get to work cleaning her up," Joandra said.

"Lead the way," Neelyn replied, mentally shaking her head at Joandra. She was only seventeen, but acted decades older because of the repeated beatings she'd received. She clung to the mistaken belief that being the perfect servant would cause Lotor to excuse her inadequate (to him) sexual performance. "We have to make sure Her Highness is made presentable for when His Highness returns."

Neelyn pressed a kiss to the top of Elsee's hair before releasing her.

"Come," she gently urged as she followed after Joandra.

The moment she entered into the quarters she was assaulted by the sound of sobbing.

_Oh, Allura,_ she silently cried, her heart breaking yet again for the tortured girl.

"Neelyn..." Elsee whimpered at the sound.

"We'll do what we can for her, I promise," she told her, taking her hand and leading her across the spacious apartment towards the sleeping area.

Joandra was already near the bed and Neelyn could tell that she was frozen in place.

And as she came to stand beside her, she saw why.

There was blood everywhere. On the bed. On the carpet.

On Allura.

_By all the gods..._

Allura was curled up in the center of the still-made bed, her naked body shaking with every sob. She looked so small and pitiful in the huge bed, smears of her own blood all over her body. The hair that had been so carefully styled was a tangled mess. And although Neelyn could not yet see her face, she knew that the makeup she had painstakingly applied had been long ruined by her tears.

Beside her, the previously all-business Joandra was muttering something in her native language. Not even she could pretend to be unmoved by the sight of so much suffering.

"Joandra," she interrupted and Joandra turned to look at her, tears streaming down her pale face. "I need you to clean the room up once Elsee and I have her in the bathroom. Everything needs to be changed. There can't be a trace of blood when His Highness returns."

Joandra nodded wordlessly and went to start gathering the supplies she would need.

She looked at Elsee who was still crying.

"Elsee, sweet one, I need you to help me bathe her," she said. "Please go into the bathroom and run a hot bath for the princess. I'll bring her in in a few minutes."

"Yes, Neelyn," the girl tearfully replied. She released her grip on Neelyn's hand and headed towards the bathroom.

Neelyn then turned her full attention to Allura. The still-sobbing princess did not seem to notice that she was no longer alone.

She want over to the bed and, not wanting to startle the girl, slowly climbed in with her.

Allura remained oblivious to her presence.

She crawled over to where she lay and placed a gentle hand on Allura's right shoulder.

Allura immediately screamed at the contact.

Shocked by the reaction, Neelyn jerked her hand away.

Allura looked up, her eyes wide with terror.

"It's all right, Your Highness," Neelyn said in a calm and quiet voice that hid her shock at the vivid purple mark blooming around the princess' right eye. There was blood trickling from her nose and the corner of her mouth. "It's just me, Neelyn. I'm not going to hurt you."

Allura did not move.

"He's gone for now. I promise," Neelyn continued. "Joandra, Elsee, and I are the only ones here. We're here to clean you up."

"He said... He said..."

Neelyn had a very good idea of what Lotor had said.

"He won't be back for a little while," she told her. "Come and let me help you bathe. You'll feel better after a bath."

"Hurts too much to move," Allura disagreed, her voice rough from her tears.

"I know, Your Highness," Neelyn said sympathetically, "but you need to get cleaned up. And you can't do that in bed."

Allura shook her head. "Not moving."

"You have to, Allura," Neelyn spoke a little more forcefully. "We've been ordered to clean you. We _have_ to."

Allura's expression softened.

"Hurt you?"

"Yes," she told her. "He will hurt us if we don't follow his orders. I'm sorry."

She heard noise off to her side and she turned her head to see that Joandra had returned with her cleaning supplies. She had again frozen in place.

"It's...not right," Allura said, bringing Neelyn's attention back to her.

"No, but it's the way things are," she informed her. "So, please, let us bathe you."

"All...right."

Allura began to struggle into a sitting position and Neelyn noticed that she wasn't using her right arm at all. She moved to help her and immediately saw what she hadn't before: the princess' right shoulder was swollen.

_It has to be broken,_ Neelyn mentally noted as she helped Allura sit up.

How had it happened? How had Lotor inflicted such an injury?

"All right?" she asked out loud and Allura nodded. "Good girl."

She turned back to the still-frozen Joandra. "Come here. I need your help."

Joandra immediately obeyed and came over.

"Please get into the bed and move behind the princess."

Again, Joandra did as she was told.

"Now, Allura," Neelyn said, "Joandra and I are going to help you slide across the bed. I know you're in terrible pain and this is going to only make it worse, but it has to be done. All right?"

Allura nodded.

"Okay. Here we go," Neelyn continued. One hand on Allura's back and the other on her side, she put gentle pressure on her to get her to move towards her.

Joandra had both hands on Allura's lower back to exert pressure of her own.

Allura cried out in pain, but she slid an inch along the bed.

"That's a good girl," Neelyn praised her. "Now, let's do it again."

It took ten tiny movements, but soon Allura had reached the edge of the bed.

"Very good, Allura," Neelyn complimented her once again as she stood up. "You did it."

"Hurts..."

"I know, I know," Neelyn soothed. "Now, I need you to stand up. Can you do that?"

Allura nodded and very slowly, using only her good arm, got to her feet.

Neelyn immediately moved to support her weight.

"Very good, Your Highness," she praised, trying to keep her eyes from the huge bruises covering the front of Allura's torso. It was no wonder movement was causing her agony. (And that was not taking into account her numerous other injuries, more than a few still bleeding.) She truly had been tortured and needed to be in the infirmary.

Neelyn silently cursed Lotor's cruelty. How could he claim to love her then do these horrible things to her? How could he refuse her treatment for her pain? He was an evil man.

"We're going to walk very slowly now," Neelyn told Allura. "The bathroom is not very far, I promise."

Allura's only response was to start crying again.

"There's nothing we can do for her, is there?"

Neelyn turned to look at Joandra, who was still on the bed and looked miserable.

"I wish there was. But we can't go against our orders."

She again focused on the newly-sobbing princess. A part of her was glad to see that something had finally gotten through to Joandra, but this was not the time to deal with it. Allura needed her complete attention.

"Come on, Your Highness. Let's walk."

Gently but firmly, she guided Allura the few feet from the bed to the bathroom where Elsee was waiting.

"You're doing wonderfully, Allura," she said. "Now, I'm going to help you into the tub. All right?"

Allura nodded once again.

Neelyn, with Elsee's assistance, maneuvered the slight princess into the tub and helped her sink down into the water.

Once Allura was settled into the warm, soapy water and Elsee had began gently scrubbing the blood from her body and when she was sure no one was looking at her, Neelyn allowed her tears to fall.

((()))

Keith was pulled from his troubled private thoughts by the sound of the conference room doors opening. He looked up to see Hunk, Pidge, and Coran enter into the room.

"You called us, boss man?" Hunk spoke for all three as they came over to the table.

"Yes. Please have a seat," Keith answered, tightening his control on his already turbulent emotions. He couldn't let himself slip, especially not with Coran in the room. He'd barely made it through his brief conversation with Sven without revealing how Allura's kidnapping was affecting him. (Sven knew him almost as well as Lance did, but, thankfully, Sven didn't have Lance's talent for sensing when he was hiding something.) "We have a great deal to talk about."

"It's about Her Highness, isn't it?" Coran quietly asked as he sat down.  
Keith nodded. "Lance filled me on everything that happened when he regained consciousness about an hour ago. The situation is a lot worse than we feared. Lotor has her."

There was a chorus of "no!" from the other side of the table and Coran turned deathly pale.

There was no need to elaborate any further. Everyone in the room understood what that meant for Allura. If they did not get to her in time, Lotor would force her to marry him. His determination to have her as his queen meant that he would not wait long before having a wedding performed. And if that happened...

But Keith was the only one who knew that it was already too late. Lotor wasn't going to wait until they were married before starting to try for children...

"The entire story of the festival being held in Allura's honor was part of a trap to get the princess someplace where she would be alone and unprotected," he explained, pushing the horrible knowledge of what his beloved was going through from his mind. He didn't want to think about it any more than he had to. He _couldn't_... "Haggar and Lotor wanted to be able to take her from Arus without anyone realizing she was gone for days. They forced Stayden to help them by taking his family hostage. They knew she wouldn't be able to refuse an offer from one of her subjects. It was the perfect plan."

"And I let her go," Coran said defeatedly. "You tried to-"

"It doesn't matter who did what," Keith cut him off, not wanting to get into an argument about whose fault her capture really was. (It was his and his alone. He knew and accepted it and that was all there was to it.) "The only thing that matters now is getting her back."

"Then what are we still doing here?" Hunk wanted to know. He jumped to his feet. "Let's go rescue her!"

"I wish it were that simple to get her back," Keith countered and a surprised Hunk sat back down. "Lotor's going to want to keep her some place where she can be watched and guarded at all times. And the best location for that will be in his personal wing of the castle. Most likely she'll be placed in or near his chambers."

_For quick and easy access,_ he silently added, his pain flaring at the thought of Lotor coming and taking what he wanted from her whenever he wanted it.

After leaving Lance's room in the infirmary, he had done a lot of thinking about how much of Lotor's plans for Allura he was going to share with the others. None of them, especially not Coran, needed to know that Lotor wanted Allura pregnant with his child as soon as possible. _He_ was barely handling the knowledge that she was going to be repeatedly violated until they rescued her. It was for the best that the truth stayed between him and Lance for now.

And if it was discovered that Lotor had succeeded after they had gotten her back...

"Getting her out of there is most likely going to be the hardest thing we'll ever have to do," he continued, forcing the unthinkable possibility from his mind. He needed to stay focused on getting her back. _That_ was the only thing that mattered. "The stakes are higher than any we've ever faced. Because if we fail..."

He trailed off as he was momentarily overcome by his fear that they _would_ fail. If he wasn't able to save her...

"We'll get her back," Pidge confidently spoke up. "We always do."

"Lance and I have come up with a rough idea for a rescue, but it still needs a lot of work," Keith continued, purposely ignoring Pidge's assertion. He had to stay focused on the rescue itself. He couldn't allow himself to think about what could or could not happen. He knew he'd fall apart if he did. "And it's also going to require Sven and Romelle's participation. Their knowledge of Castle Doom's security and layout will be invaluable."

It had occurred to him after he had already decided that he needed Sven to fly Black in his place that both he and Romelle had precious insider knowledge of Castle Doom that would enable him and Lance to reach Allura without being detected. And Romelle had spent a great deal of time in Lotor's section of the castle during her imprisonment. She'd know exactly where Allura was being held.

"I've already taken the liberty of contacting Sven on Pollux before calling this meeting," he let them know. "They'll be here in two days."

"Two days?! Why two days? Why can't they be here any sooner?" Pidge wanted to know. "Didn't you tell them that the princess is in danger?"

"Of course I did, Pidge," Keith assured him, "but it unfortunately can't be helped. Romelle is assisting Bandor with a trade negotiation and she can't leave until it's finished."

He'd of course been disappointed when Sven had told him of the delay, but he'd kept his feelings to himself. He couldn't expect Romelle to abandon her duties just because _he_ was impatient to get to Allura. He'd simply thanked Sven for agreeing to help and told him he'd see them when they arrived.

As he kept having to remind himself, Allura was not in any actual immediate danger. The whole purpose of her capture was so she could become Lotor's queen and the mother of his children. No matter how angry with her he'd be after discovering that she wasn't virgin, he would not outright kill her. Hurt her incredibly, yes, but not kill.

Not on purpose...

He violently pushed the thought away. Allura _was_ alive and she'd still _be_ alive when he found her. Her death was not even a possibility. He refused to even think it. The only way they'd lose her would be if they were too late to stop the marriage.

_Please, god, don't let that happen._

He just wanted to find her and bring her home. And then they could get back to their normal lives.

Or could they? He hadn't forgotten that Lance had told Allura the truth about his love for her. That knowledge, coupled with the fact that she already loved him in return, would change everything for her. His greatest worry had always been that she'd want to enter into a relationship with him if she found out how he truly felt about her. It was why he'd fought so hard to keep his feelings from her. Now that she knew...

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but what choice did he have but to turn her down? Other than her knowledge that their feelings for each other were mutual, nothing had changed. She was still the princess destined to be queen and he was still just a pilot. Being together was an impossibility. She had to marry a prince. Telling her "no" was the right thing to do.

Even though it meant breaking her heart.

"So what are we supposed to do until they get here?" Hunk questioned, forcing his mind to return to the present. "Just sit around?"

"No, not sit around, but we don't have enough information on Doom yet to finalize a plan," Keith answered, hating the fact that they couldn't go after Allura yet just as much as he knew the others did. (If not more...) "I need to speak to Lance again and then we'll regroup at 1800. I'll have the basics ready to share with you then. Dismissed."

Pidge and Hunk nodded and then got up from the table.

"Come on, Little Buddy," Hunk said to Pidge. "We'll go see how Lance is doing."

"Okay."

Keith watched the two of them leave, relieved that he had made it through the meeting without letting his fear and worry show too badly. Neither of them suspected that he wasn't in complete control.

Which was why he had decided to step down as commander for the duration of the mission. He didn't trust that he'd be able to keep it together once they reached Doom. He was barely doing it now. When Sven and Romelle arrived, he would inform the team that Lance was taking his place as commander until further notice.

To prevent any arguments, Lance wouldn't find out until the rest of the team did.

"Are you all right?"

Keith looked and was surprised to see that Coran was still sitting at the table, a concerned look on his face.

"I'll be better once we have the princess back," he honestly told him. "I don't like-"

"That's not what I meant," Coran interrupted. "Are _you_ all right?"

Keith froze. Was Coran implying... No, it was impossible. He _couldn't_ know. Keith had been so careful around him.

"I'm not sure I understand-"

"I know you're in love with her, Commander."

Keith stared at the royal advisor in complete shock. Coran _did_ know! But how? And how long had he known?

He knew better than to deny it. His continued presence on Arus depended on Coran's approval. "Yes."

"I may not have said anything, but I'm not blind," Coran told him. "And I know that Allura loves you too."

It was a startling revelation. Coran was, next to Nanny, the loudest voice in insisting that Allura needed to start thinking about marriage. He was the one always trying to get her to step down from the Voltron Force and to reconsider allowing suitors to come to Arus. Yet if he knew that Allura was already in love with someone...

"If you've known all this time, why haven't you said a word about it?" Keith wanted to know.

"Because I know you, Keith," Coran simply said. "You are a very honorable man and only want what's best for Allura. You would never do anything to compromise her future. You love her enough to stay away. You have always had my deepest gratitude and utmost respect for that."

"Thank you," was all Keith could manage to say. He'd had no idea that Coran thought so highly of him. He was stunned.

"So, back to my original question. Are you all right?"

"I'm terrified for her, Coran," Keith finally answered, understanding he could only be truthful to a point. There were still things he did not want Coran knowing yet. Such as the knowledge of what Lotor was doing to Allura... "I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. All I want is to get her back where it's safe."

It felt strange to be so honest with the most important man in Allura's life, yet at the same time, it was a relief. Coran knew and understood how much he loved Allura and trusted him enough to know that he'd never do anything but the right thing when it came to her well-being. With him, he didn't have to pretend anymore.

"If anyone can bring her back, I believe it is you," Coran told him, again stunning Keith with his faith in him. He rose to his feet. "I'll leave you to your work now, Commander."

Keith could only stare as Coran turned and left.

First Lance, now Coran. He'd been so careful in trying to conceal his feelings for Allura. Was his love for her more obvious than he thought?

And now Allura knew too...

What was he going to do when they got her back and she inevitably said something?

Other than break her heart...

_I can't think about that now,_ he decided. _Getting her back is the top priority. I have to focus on that._

His personal dilemma would have to wait.

His mind resolved, he stood from the table and left the conference room.

((()))

Pain. Hot, burning pain. Every inch of Allura's body, both inside and out, was crying out in sheer agony as she awoke from a sleep she did not remember entering.

It was unlike anything she had known in her entire life. Not even crashing in Blue had hurt so badly.

But the worst and most excruciating pain was radiating from her most intimate place...

She wished she were dead. Then she wouldn't have to feel the way she did any more. Her suffering would be over and she wouldn't have to-

She froze, afraid to even open her eyes. If he was still in the bed with her...

She lay unmoving for what felt like countless minutes, listening to every sound. Finally, she determined that the only breathing she could hear was her own.

Lotor was gone.

For now.

_Thank all the gods!_

Tears of relief fell from her eyes as she opened them to the dim room. She hurt so much already. If he were to take her again at this moment...

She didn't even know how many times Lotor had already had sex with her. All she knew was that there was a fire between her legs that she would give anything to make go away. Her last memory before falling- No, she hadn't fallen asleep. She remembered now. She had passed out from the pain. A pain more intense than any he had previously inflicted. It had been his fourth time violating her since he had returned (she wondered if he had stopped after she'd lost consciousness or continued to have his way with her. The idea made her ill) and he had moved his hands to her shoulders and when he had tightened his grip...

She prayed to every deity she knew that she'd never have to experience that kind of pain ever again, but she knew the prayer was futile.

Lotor would never stop forcing himself on her. He would do it again and again and again until the day she died. He would never grow tired of her. As he kept telling her, he "loved" her.

More tears ran down her cheeks as she thought about her horrible fate.

There was only one person she would ever love and she was never going to see him again.

"Keith," she whispered, thinking of her beloved. "I miss you so much."

If only she had gotten the chance to tell him how she felt. To kiss him.

To make love to him.

Thanks to Lance, she knew what sex was supposed to feel like. It had been an amazing experience, nothing like the pure torture she was suffering at Lotor's hands. (If Lotor had been her first...) And if what he said about the difference between sex and making love were true...

Gods help her, if Keith were with her at this very moment, she would give herself to him despite her pain. She wanted, no, _needed_, to feel what real love was supposed to be like. His love was the only thing that could make all of her hurts vanish. His mere presence made her feel safe.

She began to cry again, her sorrow and despair momentarily overshadowing her physical agony.

When she had once more run out of tears, she was again left with nothing but her pain. She felt empty and dirty. She wished she'd lose consciousness again so she didn't have to think about her new life and what she had lost.

But neither sleep nor blissful nothingness came to her as she lay there in the dark. She was trapped with her pain and her thoughts about the pain that was to come when Lotor returned to her. She needed to find something that would take her mind off of how much she hurt.

The only thing she could come up with was exploring her new "home." If she was going to be trapped here for the rest of her life, she might as well get to know it. She'd barely had time to take it in before Lotor had come in and then after he had finished with her the first time...

But before she could do that, she needed to sit up, which she knew was going to be difficult. She had only been able to do it before with Neelyn's assistance. But she appeared to be completely alone now...

Alone.

The realization struck her suddenly. For the first time since she'd been captured, she was all by herself. There were no slaves or guards to keep an eye on her. She was literally free to do as she wanted.

Or was she? Lotor was no fool. He knew she'd rather die than be his. That meant there'd be nothing in the entire huge chamber she could use to end her life.

But what about _outside_ the room?

Lotor had to know that she was in agony. (He'd spent enough time telling her that her pain was her own fault and that the pain would only stop if she let herself love him...) And normally someone in as much pain as she was didn't move very much. Was it possible that her door was unlocked and unguarded? If he thought she could barely move from the bed...

The small flame of hope that she'd believed extinguished again and again returned to life. If she had a guess, it was late at night. (It would explain why she was alone in the dark.) Most likely, there was very little activity in the castle at this hour. If she could manage to get out of this room and find a place to hide where no one could find her...

A place where she could allow herself to die in peace.

The thought of freeing herself from Lotor on her own terms buoyed her. (Slowly dying from starvation would not be pleasant, but the end result was all that mattered. And she would at last be reunited with both of her parents.) Using her one good arm, she gradually and painfully maneuvered herself into a sitting position.

And was surprised to discover that not only had she been tucked under the covers, but she'd been dressed in a nightgown.

_Neelyn,_ she instantly knew, touched by the small gesture of kindness.

In the single day that she'd known her, Neelyn had been nothing but kind and caring to her. She had gone out of her way to treat Allura like a person instead of the glorified prisoner that she was. Unlike Joandra and Elsee, she did not act simply like an obedient servant. Although she had been firm and insistent at times to make sure Allura cooperated with her (in some ways, she reminded her of Nanny), for the most part she had spoken to her as a peer. She was sure that if she stayed, she and Neelyn would have eventually become friends.

Allura hoped that all three of her "attendants" would one day be freed. No one deserved to be enslaved. And maybe Neelyn would find her lost love that she'd spoken about. (Perhaps he'd already been freed by one of Romelle and Sven's rescue missions.) She deserved to have her kindness repaid.

Returning her focus to her quest, she used her good hand to pull the blanket back so she could begin the painful journey out of the bed. After an eternity of small and agonizing moves, she made it to the edge.

Bracing herself, she pushed herself to her feet.

And involuntarily cried out at the shooting pain the simple act of standing had caused her.

For several moments she remained where she was, trying to recover from the searing pain enveloping her entire body. (Of course, none of it compared to what she still felt from where he had forced himself into her...) If just standing up had been this bad...

After another eternity, the newer pain faded and she was left with the more familiar aching agony. It was time to make her way to the door.

She took a deep breath and began to stiffly walk.

The pain of each step was horrendous and tears streamed from her eyes, but she pushed on, knowing that it would be worth it in the end. All she had to do was reach the door and, if was unlocked as she hoped, go through it and find a place where she could curl up and die.

The thought of release from this hell made her smile despite her pain. Oh, to never have to endure Lotor's "affections" ever again! Anything, including death, was preferable to that.

Finally, she stood before the chamber door. The moment of truth had arrived. If the door did not open...

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself for disappointment, she turned the old-fashioned knob and gently tugged inward.

The door opened.

_Thank all the gods!_

At last! Something was going right!

Tears of joy and relief replaced the ones of pain.

She carefully peered out into the hallway. There was no one, not even a slave, in sight. Her suspicion about the late hour had to be correct.

_So far, so good._

Knowing that silence was her only protection against discovery, she slowly and stiffly moved out into the empty hallway.

She had no idea where she was going to go. Unlike the rest of the team, she had never been inside of Castle Doom before. They'd been held prisoner here very briefly before arriving on Arus. All she knew was whatever place she found had to be as far away from this section of the castle as possible. It had to be someplace where Lotor would never think to look for her and where no one would accidentally find her while she waited for death to claim her.

Making the random decision to turn left from her doorway, she started her blind journey down the hallway.

_I'm going to make-_

"And just where do you think you're going at this hour of the night, my love?"

Allura froze in terror.

"Would you like some company?" Lotor asked in a deceptively friendly tone.

_No! No! No!_

"Or were you perhaps trying to leave without saying goodbye to me?" he continued and she felt his hands forcefully clamp down on her arms, eliciting a cry of pain as her injured shoulder was manipulated.

He roughly spun her around so that she was facing him.

"Allura, Allura, Allura," he tsked at her in that condescending way she hated with a passion. "Why must you continue to hurt me this way? Why can't you just love me as I love you? I see that you have yet to learn your lesson, my darling princess." He sighed heavily. "I suppose another punishment is in order. One that will prevent you from trying to leave me again."

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

What was he going to do to her now?

She started to sob as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back into her room.

"If only you would stop fighting my love for you," he continued. "You could be so happy. All I want to do is give you the universe. What is so wrong with that?"

Allura only continued to cry. What was the point in answering him? He was angry enough as it was. Why invite a worse beating than the one she knew she was about to receive?

Lotor rapidly crossed the room and unceremoniously dropped her back onto her bed.

Allura immediately curled herself back into a ball in the futile hope of protecting herself from the coming blows.

But instead of starting to hit her, Lotor called out, "Guards! Get in here immediately!"

She lifted her head to see a squad of robots hurry into her chambers.

Her eyes widened in terror as a horrible thought entered her mind. What if Lotor was going to order the robots to beat her for him? His blows had been bad enough, but he was made of flesh and bone like her. They'd be nothing compared to the damage that would be inflicted by the synthetically covered metal hands and feet.

"You two, hold her down by her arms," Lotor ordered and two of the robots were instantly on top of her, forcibly uncurling her body and pushing her onto her back.

Despite her pain and weakness, she tried to fight against them but it was no use. Each one was able to grab one of her arms and hold her down on the bed, completely immobilizing her upper body.

Oh, gods! What were they going to do to her?

She began to frantically kick with her legs, but neither Lotor nor any of the robots were within her reach. All she succeeded in doing was tiring herself out more than she already was.

When her strength and energy finally ran out, Lotor again sighed heavily. "You're only making this harder on yourself. I wish I didn't have to do this, but you've left me no choice, my love," he said and her fear spiked. "I can't have you wandering off again. What if I hadn't been here to stop you?"

Allura's crying intensified as her terror grew exponentially. What was he going to do to her? She had a feeling it was going to be worse than any of the things she'd previously endured combined.

He turned to another one of the robots.

"Break her legs."

"No!" Allura screamed at the order. "No! Please, no! Don't! No!"

The robot was unaffected by her cries and moved closer to the bed.

She began to wildly kick her legs again.

"No! Please!"

Without a word, the robot caught her left calf and snapped it in two.

The scream that ripped from her throat echoed loudly in the room.

Before she even had a chance to finish her first scream, the robot repeated the action on her right side.

Her second scream left her throat raw.

"No, no, no..." she weakly sobbed, her voice now a whisper.

"Out, all of you."

Allura felt the pressure lift from her arms, but she remained as she was, in too much agony to move.

Why hadn't the gods allowed her to pass out again? Why did she have to remain conscious and experience this new hurt?

Why couldn't she just die already?

Suddenly, she felt the mattress shift and within seconds, Lotor's face was above hers.

"I am truly sorry this had to be done, my love, but you have to realize that you left me no choice," he informed her in what she had come to recognize as his supposedly tender voice. He reached out and stroked her wet cheek. "I can't have you disappearing before our wedding, my darling. This is the only way to make sure you won't try to leave again. By the time you're able to walk again, you'll be my queen.

"And hopefully carrying our child," he added, using his knees to push her tortured legs apart.

_Oh, gods!_

She couldn't believe it. He wanted to have sex with her again _now_? After what had just been done to her?

He began to run his hands along her body and forcefully kissed her.

"And to think," he continued after he broke the kiss, "I never wanted children before. Oh, my princess. The things you do to me. I love you so much."

"Please," Allura begged, the very act of speaking now painful. "Please, Lotor. Not now. Please!"

"But my dear princess, why else would I have come to you at this time of night?" he countered.

He took the neckline of her nightgown in both hands and ripped it completely down the front, exposing her body.

"No..."

Without speaking another word, Lotor began to have his way with her.

((()))

Haggar waved away the image of Lotor with the princess from within her crystal with disgust.

"Brainless fool!" she spat, stroking Coba to calm herself down.

The idiot finally had the object of his desire and he was on the verge of destroying her himself. After all of the hard work Haggar had done to bring the princess to him, he had nearly killed her in a single day. (All because she was not conforming to his ridiculous preconceived notion that she should be madly in love with him. Did he not comprehend Allura's complete and total hatred of him?) It didn't seem likely that she'd survive until the wedding. And as for producing an heir... It would be impossible for Allura to carry a baby to full-term if she was being repeatedly beaten. (Not even her magic could protect an unborn child. Her powers were dark and would only destroy the new life. They only helped those who were inherently evil, which a growing baby was not.)

Had he heard nothing when she'd told him how important it was for him to have a child with Allura? Was he not as interested in conquering Arus as he proclaimed to be? Why was he stupidly wasting his one chance of defeating Arus without having to fire a single shot?

Zarkon was right. His son _was_ a disgrace to the entire empire.

She sighed. She supposed it ultimately did not matter who the mother of his heir would be. As long as there _was_ an heir for her to use against him. She could not take over the throne without one.

Not for the first nor would it be the last time, she wished she had a better way of disposing of Zarkon and taking over Doom. But the people would never follow her. She was merely a witch. They would only obey a member of the royal family. And only a royal under her complete control would allow her to impose her rule on the empire. And the only way to get a royal to obey her without question was to make him love her from birth.

At least she had secured Lotor's loyalty in her quest for power. No matter what happened with Allura, if she lived to be his queen or died, he owed her for bringing her to him in the first place. Their arrangement would remain intact. She would help put him on the throne and he would supposedly leave her be. (She suspected he would try to get rid of her in the beginning, but when his efforts failed, he would give up and focus on more rewarding pursuits.) And then when his first-born child was old enough, Haggar would instruct him to kill his father.

It was a simple plan. A plan that could not fail. And one that no one would ever suspect. Every one of Zarkon's minions believed her to be his loyal witch. The very idea of her plotting against him was unthinkable.

Which showed how very little anyone truly knew her.

She gave Coba another stroke.

"Come, pussy cat. Let us see the progress of our latest creations."

Coba stood up on the table and stretched before giving a great, big yawn.

There was nothing she could do about Lotor's treatment of Allura. Her part with the princess was finished. She had brought her here and gave Lotor her recommendations. If he chose to ignore her and continue to abuse the girl, that was his decision.

She picked Coba up into her arms and left her chambers for her lab.

Unlike uncontrollable kings and foolish princes, her Robeasts were never a disappointment.

They always functioned exactly as she designed them to do.

It was a shame living beings couldn't easily be made to do the same.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:   
This is just a quick reminder that this story is set in the "Voltron Force" universe. While the time frame is the original series, I've tried to combine the two as best I can while favoring "Voltron Force." Any mistakes are my own and can be attributed to this ultimately being an alternate universe from both shows.  
There is one more section to go before the story is complete and then it will be continued in the sequel, "Aftermath."  
I hope you are enjoying the story.

Lance opened the door to the rec room and was relieved to see that after twenty minutes of searching he had finally located his quarry.

Keith was seated at a table towards the rear of the room, his back to the door. Lance could not tell exactly what he was doing, but he was focusing on something on the table in front of him. Whatever it was, it had his entire attention. The usually hyper-aware commander didn't appear to have even noticed his arrival.

Lance knew that if he had wanted to, he could have snuck up on Keith without his knowing that he was there until he announced his presence.

It was very disconcerting to see Keith this way, but his uncharacteristic behavior was more than understandable. He was in a very bad place. The love of his life was suffering at the hands of one of the evilest monsters in the universe and there was nothing Keith or anyone else could do about it for days. Lance couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he was in.

And from what Hunk and Pidge had told Lance when they met him upon his release from the infirmary, Keith was reaching his breaking point. He'd been avoiding everyone since yesterday evening, a blatant sign that he wasn't himself. (Keith always maintained an open door policy with his teammates. For him to turn anybody away when they came to him to talk...) He'd even skipped Lion practice, something he was adamant no member of the team should ever do. He needed to vent his feelings to someone before he had a total meltdown.

It would be a catastrophe if he went on the rescue mission in his current state. They might be able to get to Allura without being caught, but after they found her and Keith saw what had been done to her... He needed to pull himself together if there was going to be any hope of getting off of Doom with Allura alive.

But getting him to open up about what he was feeling was going to be a challenge. Keith was so intensely private about everything, especially his emotions. He did not like to talk about himself at all. It was not going to be easy to get him to let everything out.

But if anyone could make Keith talk, it was Lance. No one knew him better. (Not even Allura had as much insider knowledge of the man she loved, which Lance hoped would change once Keith stopped fighting the inevitable.)

Not wanting to startle Keith too badly, Lance quietly crossed the room to where Keith was seated at the table. When he was close but not too close, he asked, "What ya working on?"

Despite his precautions, Keith still started at the sudden sound and jumped in his seat.

Cringing, Lance made his way around the table and sat down across from Keith.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's okay," Keith waved him off before resuming his intense studying of what was in front on him.

Lance followed his gaze and immediately recognized the map of Castle Doom that he and Keith had used yesterday during their planning session. It had come as part of the transmission package that Sven had sent over, which had contained various maps of Doom and a variety of schedules for many of the daily castle activities, including supply shipments. It had been everything they needed to plan the mission.

Lance took a moment to study Keith while he was busy staring at the map. He looked worse than he had yesterday. (Which was because he _was_ worse than he'd been yesterday. Yesterday, he hadn't yet known about the disgusting plans Lotor had for Allura or what Lance had done to "help" her get through them.) If Lance had a guess, Keith had probably been awake all night long doing nothing but dwelling on Allura's ordeal. It was a miracle he was able to function at all.

"You look like shit," Lance conversationally commented, hoping to trigger some sort of reaction. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Keith ignored the question and did not look up at him. He simply continued his study of the map.

"Memorizing our route?" Lance asked, trying another approach. He just needed to get Keith talking about anything. Once they were engaged in any sort of conversation...

"I did that yesterday," Keith informed him, still not making eye contact. "Today I'm looking for alternatives in case we have to deviate because of unforeseeable circumstances. There seem to be numerous ways back to the hangar from any point in the castle. None of them seem to take us into too heavily trafficked areas, so we should remain undetected if all goes well."

Lance noted Keith's flat and emotionless tone. It was a dead giveaway of how hard he was trying to keep his feelings hidden. Sadly, Keith was talented enough to maintain this kind of mask for hours. Getting him to open up wasn't going to be easy.

"Did you remember to take Allura's condition into account when choosing these alternatives?" Lance pointedly questioned, deciding that blatantly bringing Allura up was the only way to get a reaction out of him. While the question itself did not need an answer (him _not_ think of Allura? Blasphemy!), Keith would feel compelled to respond to the implied slight, which was exactly what Lance wanted to happen. "She's probably going to be too weak to walk on her own. One of us is going to have to carry her back to the ship."

"I can't believe you just asked me that," Keith said, a hint of emotion finally coming into his voice. (_Yes!_ Lance thought triumphantly. _I knew that would do it!_) "You of all people know what Allura means to me. How could you even _think_-"

"What I'm thinking is that you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself to realize that you're in no shape to do her any good," Lance cut him off. "Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror lately? You're a complete mess, Keith. You're falling apart at the seams. Have you taken care of yourself at all in the last couple of days? You haven't shaved and I know that you're sure as hell not sleeping. How the hell do you expect to lead the rescue if you're not thinking straight? I thought I'd gotten this into your thick head yesterday, but apparently I was wrong. You need to pull yourself together or you're going to end up getting yourself killed. And how is that going to help Allura? She-"

"You act like I'm the only one going on this mission," Keith interrupted him. "You're going to be with me the entire time inside the castle. You'll be there to keep me in line."

"True, but I can't be on your back at every second," Lance informed him. "What if the one second I'm not watching you do something stupid and get yourself killed? You know how that's going to affect Allura. She's not going to want to live after-"

"Allura's a lot stronger than anybody thinks she is," Keith cut him off, starting to sound annoyed. (A vast improvement over his previous lack of any emotion, in Lance's opinion.) "She'll survive if anything happens to me. She was doing just fine before she met me and she'll continue to be fine if I die. The princess is a survivor."

"Maybe, but what kind of life will it be for her without you in it?" Lance went on, rubbing Allura's feelings for him in. "She _loves_ you, Keith. How many times do I have to say it before it sinks in?"

"I'm not going through this with you again," Keith declared, his annoyance more pronounced this time. "You know where I stand."

"Yeah, in stubborn idiot world," Lance interjected before Keith could say anything else. (If that didn't get an angry reaction, _nothing_ would!) "Allura doesn't want to be with anyone but you. You're it for her. The sooner you accept it, the sooner-"

"Coran knows," Keith cut him off a second time, all traces of the annoyance gone from his voice. (How he could get his control back so fast Lance would never know.)

Lance was unsurprised about the "revelation" (who _didn't_ know about Keith's feelings for Allura?), but he found it strange that Coran had actually said _something_ about it to Keith. Why would he bring it up, especially when he had to know that Keith was so vulnerable?

"Yeah, so?" he commented, playing it cool.

"So?" Keith echoed in disbelief. "Coran told me he knows how I feel about Allura and how she feels about me. Then he _thanked_ me for never doing anything about it. He told me he respects me because of it. He admires that I put Allura and her future destiny first. Do you know what would happen if I ever acted on my feelings, Lance? It would be the end of my time here on Arus. Coran would see it as a betrayal. I would be sent as far away from her as possible. Do you know how badly that would hurt Allura? Compared to that, the pain of my death would be nothing."

Lance fell silent as he tried to think of a way to convince Keith that he doubted Coran would do anything that harsh. Coran was a lot of things (stuffy and old-fashioned, to name a couple), but unreasonable wasn't one of them. He'd want Allura to be happy. He may not let them get married (at first), but he'd never take Keith away from Allura. That was too cruel and he'd know how badly it would hurt Allura. He would ultimately make the right decision and allow them to be together.

And, besides, where else would he find such a fine commanding officer for the Voltron Force? Keith was born for the role. (Anyone else, himself included, would be a poor substitute.) Coran would be a fool to get rid of him for something as innocent as loving the princess.

Before Lance had a chance to open his mouth, Keith spoke up. "Let's make a deal. I'll do as you say and pull myself together and take better care of myself if you promise to never again mention the way Allura and I feel about each other. Our feelings are off-limits to you. Do we have a deal?"

Lance gave him a look. "Me keep my mouth shut about something I feel strongly about? When have I ever done that? But, if it'll make you happy and get you back into fighting form, I'll promise not to say anything more about the two of you getting your acts together until after we've gotten her back here safe and sound. Will that compromise work for you?"

There was no way he'd stop bugging Keith about telling Allura how he felt now that Allura definitely knew that Keith loved her as much as she loved him. They _had_ to get together. But for the good of the mission, he'd stay quiet about it until after she was rescued.

Keith sighed. "It's better than nothing." He extended his hand. "Deal."

Lance took it and they shook. "Deal. So go start taking care of yourself already. The next time I run into you, you better be a new man. The last thing we need is a stinky, asleep-on-his-feet commander. And make sure you eat something while you're at it. We can't have you spending the entire mission talking about how hungry you are. That's Hunk's department."

This wasn't the exact result he'd been aiming for when he came looking for Keith, but at least Keith was going to do something other than mope. He still needed to get those suppressed emotions out of his system, but Lance knew that wasn't going to be happening during this encounter, which he could tell was coming to an end.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to pull rank on me?"

Lance grinned innocently. "Me? Wouldn't dream of it! Now get a move on! That's an order!"

Keith raised his hands in surrender, a weak smile on his lips. "Okay, okay. I'm going. I'm going."

"That's more like it!" Lance declared as they both stood up from the table. "I'll be keeping my eyes on you, mister."

Keith just shook his head, the tiny smile still there, as they crossed the rec room back to the door.

Satisfied that he'd accomplished his mission and averted any impending disaster during the rescue, Lance pressed the panel to open the door and gestured for Keith to exit ahead of him.

"After you."

((()))

"Lay her on the bed," Neelyn instructed the robot that had been assigned to assist her with the now-crippled Allura. She gave the pillows another fluff before backing away, coming to stand next to Elsee, who was waiting with Allura's meal tray. (Neelyn worried that once again the food would mostly be left over. Allura was eating very little and Neelyn was sure it was only to keep her three attendants from being punished. She was already so weak from Lotor's despicable treatment of her. If she continued to refuse to eat...) "Make sure she is sitting up against the pillows."

She watched as the robot carried the princess over to the bed. Allura was awake and alert in its arms, her huge eyes taking in everything around her. She did not make a sound as it placed her on the bed with her head elevated by the pillows as it had been ordered. (Allura's silence was expected. She had lost her voice sometime during the night, most likely when Lotor had had her legs broken...)

The robot, its assignment complete, moved away from the bed and awaited further commands.

"You are dismissed until I require your assistance again," she informed it. "I will summon you when I need you."

"Yes, ma'am," the robot replied.

Without another word, it left the bedroom area and disappeared into the spacious quarters.

Neelyn immediately went over to the bed and sat down next to the princess, who simply looked at her.

Allura was more withdrawn and depressed today than she had been yesterday. Neelyn knew it was directly related to the fact that she had lost her ability to walk or stand. Her broken legs had robbed her of any independence she had had, little as it was. Caring for herself in any capacity had become impossible. She was unable to do the simplest of tasks on her own, including relieving herself. (The modest princess had been mortified the first time she had realized that she couldn't even do that unassisted.) She needed to be helped at all times.

And unless she started to eat more, neither her legs nor her shoulder would ever heal properly...

"It's time for your midday meal, Allura," Neelyn gently told her, gesturing behind her for Elsee to bring the tray. "I know you're not very hungry, but I would very much like it if you ate at least half your plate this time. You need to regain your strength so your broken bones will heal." She took the tray from Elsee and placed it on Allura's lap. "Please eat, sweetheart."

"Not hungry," Allura spoke in a whisper. Her tortured throat prevented her from being any louder. "Want to die."

Which was exactly what Neelyn feared would happen all too soon if things did not change for the poor girl. Not only was she barely eating, but Lotor was not giving her body a chance to recover between the brutal sex sessions. (To her shock and horror, she had learned from Allura yesterday that the reason he was having sex with her so often was to get her pregnant. Yet Allura would never conceive while in such poor shape. Her body did not have the strength to support a new life. It was an endless vicious cycle.) He also had yet to lift the punishment that prevented Neelyn or her companions from alleviating her pain. Her suffering was unimaginable. There was only so much her weakened body could take before it simply gave out.

And if that happened...

"I know, sweet one, I know," Neelyn soothed, "but you have to think of Elsee, Joandra, and myself. Lotor will punish us if anything happens to you. You have to stay well for us."

It was a cruel and manipulative thing to say, but it was the only thing she could think of that would get the princess to eat anything at all. Her compassion for others was the key to motivating her to do anything. Neelyn had figured that out quickly after spending just a little time with her. Allura had a generous and protective nature that moved her to go out of her way to keep those around her from harm. (From what she had told her of herself, she had been an active participant in the defense of her home planet. She actually piloted a ship of some sort! And the ship, which was shaped like an animal, came together with four others to form a giant robot warrior! This warrior was the Voltron she had mentioned yesterday.) Despite her own depression, she would care for herself for the sake of her attendants.

"Not your fault," Allura managed to say as she picked up one of the utensils with her one good hand.

"Lotor won't see it that way," Neelyn pressed as Allura began to slowly feed herself a very small bite of food. "He's placed you in our care. If anything happens to you, it _will_ be our fault."

"I hate him," Allura softly declared.

"I know you do," Neelyn said sympathetically. If anyone had the right to hate Lotor, it was Allura. The things he had done to her... "And, believe me, you are far from alone. But we are all at his mercy here. Our lives are in his hands." She slid the mug of hot tea closer to the plate. "You need to drink this too," she deftly changed the subject. "The more tea you have, the quicker your throat will feel better."

She had come to care very much for this sad princess in the short time she'd known her. From what she had gathered from their limited talks, Allura was a gentle soul with a huge heart. She was very passionate about galactic freedom and was willing to do whatever she could to put an end to evil wherever she encountered it. She didn't deserve what was happening to her.

But she did deserve to live.

If only Neelyn could get her to see that her life did not have to be over because of her current situation. Once Lotor accomplished what he wanted, marrying and impregnating her, he would most likely stop visiting her so often. (He had never spent so much time with a single woman in the year that Neelyn had been a harem slave. Lotor's usual pattern was to choose one woman for the night and then return to his own quarters when he had finished with her. His multiple sessions in a day with Allura were unusual.) She'd have the chance to recover from all of her injuries and then she'd be able to try to make a life for herself. It would not be the kind of life she had envisioned herself having, but it was better than death. And with the power and influence she would have as queen, she'd be able to accomplish great things if she wanted.

Neelyn said no more while Allura continued to slowly feed herself. The food, which was simple fare due to her non-existent appetite, had been cut up into small bite-sized pieces to compensate for her inability to use a knife.

After finishing more than her usual portion but significantly less than half the plate, Allura put her fork down.

"No more," she managed to say in her faded voice. "Full."

"All right," Neelyn accepted, happy that Allura had eaten more in this one meal than she had since they'd met on Lotor's ship. (Had it only been just yesterday? So much had happened to this poor child since...) It wasn't much of an improvement, but nevertheless it _was_ an improvement and Neelyn would take what she could get.

Thankfully, she had finished the entire mug of tea. Her throat would greatly benefit from the warm liquid. Hopefully, she would recover her voice quickly.

If Lotor did not inflict another punishment as terrible as the breaking of her legs...

She picked up the tray and passed it to Elsee, who had been patiently waiting the entire time. Elsee looked as if she were about to cry. (She was being terribly affected by Allura's plight. Neelyn thanked every god she knew that it had not been Elsee who had made the discovery of Lotor in Allura's bed that morning. It would have been a disaster for the emotional girl. And when he had casually mentioned that he'd had her legs broken as a punishment...)

"Bring this back to the kitchen," she instructed her. "And then you're free until I need you again. Tell Joandra the same when you see her."

"Yes, Neelyn," Elsee accepted. She made a slight bow before turning to go.

Neelyn returned her attention to Allura, who had closed her eyes, ready to go back to sleep. It was how she spent most of her time when not being abused by Lotor or tended to by her servants. Neelyn couldn't blame her. It was her only escape from her constant suffering. Only when she was asleep did she let down her guard and relax.

And dream of someone she had lost.

Neelyn had been very surprised to discover that the princess occasionally spoke in her sleep. She didn't say much, only a single word, but she repeated it over and over again. It was a name.

Keith.

She had been tempted to ask Allura who this Keith was from the first time she'd heard her speak the name yesterday, but she had been afraid of upsetting her by mentioning someone she'd never see again. Allura was so fragile because of everything she was going through. It might be too much for her to talk about a person she deeply cared about. Yet her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Not knowing was driving her crazy. She _wanted_ to know who this man was if only for her own peace of mind. (He had to be special if Allura dreamed of him.)

"Allura," she quietly spoke and the princess opened her eyes. "Who is Keith?"

Allura's eyes widened and a terrified look came over her face.

"What-?"

Neelyn was stunned by Allura's reaction. Why was she suddenly so afraid? She'd expected sadness, but not fear. Who was this man?

"You say his name in your sleep," she told her, berating herself for allowing her curiosity to override her better judgment. She hated herself for upsetting the princess so badly. It was the last thing the girl needed. "I'm sorry. I was just curious. I will never mention it again."

Allura's expression softened and she placed her good hand on Neelyn's. "I thought...something...happened. Lotor...hates him. I thought..." She swallowed. (Neelyn knew the act of speaking, even in her soft whisper, had to be incredibly painful. The fact that Allura continued to talk meant that she felt her words were very important.) "Thought Lotor said...something."

"Lotor says very little to me," Neelyn assured her, starting to get an idea of who this Keith could be. If Lotor hated him so much... (It didn't surprise her at all that Lotor did not care that the object of his "affections" was already taken.) "I only know the name from you. He's someone special to you?"

"My love," she whispered, confirming Neelyn's suspicion. "My life."

Neelyn instantly understood why Allura would call to him in her sleep. It was how she felt about Rasen. "Your betrothed."

Allura shook her head. "Not prince. Not royal. Commanding officer."

Neelyn was surprised. The man she loved wasn't royal like she was? And what exactly did she mean by "commanding officer"? Wouldn't she as princess outrank anyone she fought alongside with? "Yet you were allowed to be with him?"

She knew little of royalty as Geoas had done away with all monarchies millennia ago. But there had always been stories of kings, queens, princes, and princesses. And in those stories royalty always married other royalty. Any other arrangement was unheard of. Perhaps Allura's home planet of Arus was different.

Tears came to Allura's eyes as she shook her head again. "Not allowed. Must marry a prince...one day." Neelyn could tell that speaking was getting to be too much for the princess. Her voice was getting softer and rougher. "Don't want to. I only love...Keith. Want to marry...only him. Love him...so much. Never told. Can't now."

She burst into tears again.

Guilt flooding through her, Neelyn moved to pull the sobbing princess into her arms. She had done the one thing she had hoped never to do and she'd ended up upsetting poor Allura more than she already was, a seemingly impossible feat. Damn her curiosity and lack of consideration. Words couldn't even begin to describe how awful she felt.

She should never have asked the question.

"I'm so sorry, sweet one," she murmured as she gently rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair. "I should never have said anything. I promise to never mention his name again."

Allura sniffled against her chest. "Don't be...sorry. Didn't...mean..."

"Oh, Allura," Neelyn sighed at the princess's ability to instantly forgive. She was too kind-hearted for her own good. "What I did was wrong and I can't apologize to you enough. I am truly sorry."

"He doesn't...know...I'm...gone," Allura added. "No one...knows."

No one knowing that someone as important as a princess was missing from her planet didn't seem possible, but given the fact that Haggar had been involved in her kidnapping, it very well could be. Although neither she nor any of the other harem slaves had witnessed Haggar's magic, they had heard rumors from other servants of what she was capable of. Removing one girl from an entire planet would be child's play for the witch.

Neelyn continued to hold and rock Allura until her crying at last subsided.

When she was done, Neelyn gently laid her back down against the pillows.

She lightly stroked Allura's cheek. "Now try to get some rest. Lotor will be coming back to you soon."

Allura's face paled at her words.

"I know, sweetheart, I know," she soothed, wishing yet again that there was some way she could help this poor child. "If you like, I can stay with you until he does."

"Please."

"Of course," she said with a forced smile, continuing to caress her wet cheek. "I'll stay as long as I can."

"Thank...you."

"Sleep now, sweet one."

_And dream of the man you love,_ Neelyn silently added as Allura closed her eyes.

_Dream of your Keith._

((()))

"Man, you have no idea how glad I am to see the two of you," Lance greeted Sven and Romelle as they disembarked from the Doom cargo ship they'd arrived in. (It had been at Keith's request that they had traveled from Pollux in the craft. It was the ship that he and Keith would use to get into and out of Castle Doom.) "Things are kind of rough around here."

"Keith?" Sven asked knowingly.

Although a year older than Keith and Lance, Sven had been their close friend since their accelerated learning track in the academy had placed the three of them in the same classes. They had bonded over their similar interests almost immediately. He knew Keith almost as well as Lance did.

And, like Lance, he was well aware of Keith's feelings for Allura. (Though his pledge to help Romelle free all the slaves on Doom kept him from visiting Arus and his former teammates, he would occasionally contact Lance for a brief update on everyone's lives. And Keith and Allura's non-romance was a frequent topic. Sven had also been there for the Whitney incident and had been waiting as long as Lance had for Keith to find his happiness.)

"He's a total wreck, but he's trying, and failing miserably, to hide it," Lance informed him, motioning for both of them to follow him through the hangar bay. (He was operating on the assumption that Romelle knew about Keith and Allura as well. He knew that Allura and Romelle spoke whenever they had a chance and that they had become close friends in the short time they'd known each other. Whether or not Allura had told Romelle about her feelings for Keith herself or Sven had filled her in, it was more than likely that she knew about them.) Keith and the others were waiting for them in a conference room. "You'll see for yourself in a couple of minutes. I had to have a little chat with him yesterday about his behavior. He's been avoiding everyone to keep us from seeing how messed up this whole thing with Allura has him. Mentioning her name is the only way I could get any kind of response out of him. It took some doing, but I finally got him to pull himself together and get moving. He's still not a hundred percent back to normal today, but at least he's better than he was."

"You know he won't be himself until we get the princess back," Sven stated matter-of-factly. "How's he doing as commander? Has he allowed his personal crisis to affect his leadership ability?"

It was one of those hard questions that needed to be asked. As their former commanding officer, Sven would be the best judge of whether or not Keith was fit to lead the rescue mission. (Lance had been mentally preparing himself in case he had the unpleasant task of asking Keith to step down. As second-in-command, it would be his duty to take over in the event that Keith was unable to lead. And he was more than a little worried that he would ultimately have to.)

"He held Lion practice this morning and if I didn't know how he'd been yesterday, I would have never noticed that he was slightly off his normal game," Lance truthfully told him. Keith had done amazingly well and Lance knew it all had to do with Keith's ability to effortlessly hide his true emotions. "He was his usual charming self, barking orders and telling us where we went wrong. His mind drifted maybe once or twice, but that was only when Allura's name came up. I don't think Hunk or Pidge noticed that anything was off. If they did, they didn't say anything to me or Coran. He's also been running all of the mission planning sessions the way he usually does. I honestly think he's going to be okay."

"I hear a 'but' coming," Sven commented.

Lance sighed. "I'm worried about how he's going to react when we finally reach Allura. Not that I think he's going to go charging off after Lotor to rip him a new one, which I honestly wouldn't blame him if he did, but that he might have the breakdown that I've been waiting for him to have since I told him what happened to her. You know how he is when it comes to his emotions. He just holds everything in. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about it, but this is different. This is about the woman he loves. When he sees what's been done to her..."

It was the first time he had ever outright stated the word "love" when it came to Keith and Allura's relationship to anyone other than Keith and Allura. It had always been something that was understood between Sven and himself even when they weren't sure just how deeply their friends' feelings went. But with the entire outcome of the mission depending on Keith's ability to function when faced with the suffering Allura had endured at Lotor's hands, the time had come for complete honesty. Because if Keith couldn't handle it...

"I tried to get him to open up yesterday, but he just shut me down," he continued. "He even tried to get me to promise to never bring up his and Allura's feelings for each other ever again."

Sven snorted. "Like that's going to happen."

"Which is _exactly_ what I told him," Lance said as they reached the hangar door. "But the only way to get him to stop sitting around feeling sorry for himself was to agree to keep my mouth shut until after we've rescued Allura."

"I don't understand why Keith is so reluctant to admit that he loves her," Romelle spoke up for the first time as Lance entered the code to open the door. "From what Sven's told me, practically everyone in the castle already knows how they feel about each other. No one would be surprised if they became a couple. He really needs to tell her how he feels, especially now when she's going to need his love and support more than ever. Believe me, I know. If it hadn't been for Sven..."

Sven reached out and took her hand.

"You did the same for me," he told her as the three of them exited the hanger and stepped into the castle proper.

From what they'd told the team after their escape, they had both gone through hell while imprisoned on Doom. Although their experiences had been vastly different, they had both suffered greatly in their own way. (Though Lance was pretty sure Romelle's experience had been much worse. Sven had at least had free reign of the caves at the bottom of the Pit of Skulls. Romelle had been Lotor's plaything for many months. And she was a lot stronger emotionally than her cousin...) They each freely owed their recovery to the other. (Although they both denied that there was something going on between them when asked, Lance had a feeling they already were or were on their way to becoming more than friends.)

"First of all, you have to understand that Keith is an extremely private person," Sven continued to Romelle as they started down the hall. "He doesn't like to open up to anyone if he can help it and that includes his closest friends. He's had some bad experiences in his past that have left him wary of people. He doesn't trust easily and its very rare that he lets anyone get close to him. He's very protective of himself."

"And multiply that by a trillion when it comes to protecting Allura," Lance added. "He would rather die than cause her any kind of pain. Which is the reason he refuses to tell her that he loves her."

"I don't understand," Romelle said. "How would-?"

"How much do you know about the Arusian laws concerning royals and marriage?" he countered with a question of his own.

"I wasn't even aware that there were any," she told him. "To be honest, the thought never crossed my mind. Marriage was never a topic that came up in any of the conversations I've had with Allura. She may have hinted once or twice about her feelings for Keith, but that's the closest our talks ever got to romance. She's always been more interested what it was like to grow up with a family."

Which didn't surprise Lance at all. Having been an only child, Allura was fascinated by the concept of having siblings. (The closest she had ever come to a sibling was Larmina, but her relationship with her niece had always been more of a mother-daughter one.) In the early days, she'd questioned the team endlessly about their families. (And she'd had her first bonding experience with Keith when she discovered that he'd been an only child as well...)

"Well, according to the law, in order to become queen, Allura has to marry a prince," he informed Romelle.

An expression of shocked disbelief formed on her face.

"And Keith, being the strict by-the-book, rule-abiding kind of guy that he is, is determined that nothing will keep her from being queen, not even himself," Lance continued before Romelle had a chance to comment. "He's known for a long time that she has feelings for him, but he's purposely kept his own to himself so there'd never be a possibility of a relationship between them. He doesn't want to start anything that, in his mind, will inevitably have to end. Because when the time comes for her to marry... So he's decided that the best way to keep her from being hurt is to keep his mouth shut. He doesn't want to break her heart.

"But what the big idiot doesn't realize is that he's hurting her already," he went on as he led his guests down another corridor. "He doesn't understand that she's as much in love with him as he is with her. She's outright told me that she doesn't want to marry anyone _but_ him. By trying to protect her, all he's accomplishing is making her miserable. I just want to hit him over the head sometimes for being so dense."

"That marriage law doesn't even make any sense," Romelle put in. "Allura is the sole living heir of the royal family. The throne is hers by birthright. Marriage should not have any bearing on when she chooses to ascend it. She should be able to become queen whenever she's ready. And as queen, she should be able to marry whomever she wants."

"Tell that to Coran and Nanny," Lance let her know. "They've been spouting that law to her since she was a little girl and the rest of us have heard it ad nauseam ever since coming to Arus. Whether or not it makes sense, it's apparently the law and nothing can be done about it."

"It's an unfair and terrible law," Romelle declared. "Poor Allura."

"Yeah," Lance agreed. "As I said, she's told me that if she can't marry Keith, she refuses to get married at all. She doesn't really care about being queen. But Keith won't make a move because he _wants_ her to be queen. The whole thing is just so messed up.

"Believe me, if I could think of a way to knock some sense into him, I'd do it in a heartbeat," he added. "It would be nice to get a break from their constant mooning over each other. After two years, it's gotten real old."

"I could try to talk to him," Sven offered. "I don't know if it would do any good, but I could give it a shot. He used to take my advice once upon a time."

Lance snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that. That was back when _you_ were the commander. How much you want to bet that he shuts you down in two seconds flat?"

"I'm sure he will," Sven agreed, "but it's worth a try, right? Anything to get him to see how ridiculous and unfair he's being to Allura."

Lance came to a stop as they reached the conference room where the rest of the team and Coran were waiting for their arrival.

"As I said, good luck. Anyway, we'll have to finish this conversation later because we're here and Keith has probably worn a groove in the floor waiting for us to come in," he said. "Did I mention he's a little impatient to get this rescue going?"

"We're ready," Sven told him, speaking for both Romelle and himself. "Whenever you are."

"Then let's get this show on the road."

He tapped the code into the wall panel and the door slid open. He gestured for them to go in ahead of him.

"Go right in. Let's not keeping Keith waiting any longer."

((()))

"You all have your assignments," Keith concluded, bringing the mission planning session to an end. "Any questions?" When none were raised, he continued, "If no one has anything to add, I have just have one last item and then you'll be free to go. Effective immediately, I am stepping down as commander for the duration of the mission. Lance will be leading the rescue in my place."

The response was a mixture of cries of "what?!" and gasps.

Hunk and Pidge looked absolutely shocked by the pronouncement while there was simple surprise on Coran and Romelle's faces. Sven and Lance exchanged a glance that indicated to Keith that Lance had been not been keeping his concerns about Keith's ability to perform on the mission to himself. (He wasn't at all surprised. The two of them had a history of ganging up on him when they had issues with behavior. It had started back in the academy and had continued right up until Sven's injury that sent him from Arus. He was sure he was going to get an earful from both of them after the meeting ended. He'd already been expecting something from Lance.)

"But-but why would you do that?" Pidge cried out, sounding more distressed than Keith thought he should.

"Yeah!" Hunk agreed. "This is your plan! We need you!"

"I'll still be going on the mission," Keith pointed out, unclear on why they were so upset. It wasn't like he was staying behind on Arus. He was simply removing himself from the decision-making process. "I just won't be in command."

"But _why_?" Pidge asked again. "This is to save Allura!"

"And that is exactly why I can't be in command," Keith calmly explained. He needed to be careful when giving them his reasoning. He knew he owed them an explanation for his decision, but it had to be one that didn't reveal too much about his more than professional feelings for Allura. Everyone knew they were close friends, but only Lance and Coran knew how far beyond friendship his feelings truly went. "I'm... I'm too emotionally involved. You know that the princess and I-"

"You love her, so what?" Hunk cut him off, stunning him. (_Hunk_ knew too?!) "That's never stopped you from saving her before."

Keith stared at him in disbelief. How in the universe had Hunk learned about his love for Allura? Hunk had never been very good at picking up subtle clues. How careless had he actually been with his feelings that Hunk could detect them? He'd tried so hard to hide them, but clearly he'd failed miserably. Was there _anyone_ who didn't know? (And based on the unsurprised expressions on the faces of everyone in the room, including Sven and Romelle, it seemed unlikely. Did even Nanny know?)

"Hunk is correct," Coran stated, startling him even more. (It had been one thing for Coran to mention his knowledge of Keith and Allura's love for each other in private, but for him to voice it in the presence of others...) "Keith, you have had feelings for Her Highness from almost the moment you met her. She has been taken by Lotor on numerous occasions in the time since and it has always been under your leadership that she has been rescued. I fail to see why this time is any different. What has changed to make you feel that you are incapable of leading this particular mission?"

_Because this time it's my fault she was captured,_ he silently answered.

There were no words to describe how guilty he felt for what had happened. He'd _known_ something wasn't right about the supposed festival. He'd known it and he'd let her go anyway. (Despite Lance's assurances to the contrary, he could have stopped Allura from leaving if he'd truly wanted to. As head of her security, his judgment and authority superseded her own when it came to guarding her life. He had every right to prevent her from doing something that he felt placed her in danger. But he hadn't stopped her because he knew how important attending had been to her. Because he had wanted to keep her happy...) And now, because he had let her go, she was in the clutches of one of the most evil monsters to ever live.

A monster who wanted to marry her and use her body to produce his heirs.

The first of which could have already been conceived...

_Oh, god, Allura, I'm so sorry._

He began to feel overwhelmed and instantly clamped down on his emotions. He refused to break down in the middle of a meeting. He had to remain in control.

"It's because of what I overheard Haggar telling Allura," Lance spoke up when Keith did not answer right away, most likely aware of Keith's private war with his roiling emotions. "Lotor has some sick plans for her and they weren't the easiest thing for anyone to hear."

Keith stared at him, his guilt and fear pushed aside by his shock at Lance's thoughtless words. Did he not have a shred of common sense or decency in his body? Coran didn't need to know the full details of what was being done to the girl he loved as a daughter. It would upset him more than he already was. And then poor Romelle, who had herself suffered at Lotor's hands...

"I won't go into any details," Lance continued, much to Keith's relief (it was good to know that Lance actually _did_ know when to shut his mouth), "but believe me when I tell you that the princess is going to be in very bad shape when we finally reach her. She's never been held captive by Lotor this long before. He's never had the chance to...to..." He wisely did not elaborate further. "Keith is understandably upset over this. He feels that he won't be able to properly focus on the mission when he's so concerned about the woman he loves."

Keith silently groaned at Lance's last comment. Leave it to Lance to find some way to say "I told you so" about being right about his love for Allura being common knowledge.

_So much for our deal!_

"Oh, and I completely disagree with his decision to hand command over to me," Lance added. He looked directly at Keith and Keith braced himself for the expected argument. (That was why he hadn't told him of his plans beforehand. Things couldn't get too heated in front of a roomful of witnesses.) "I'll lead if you really want me to, but this plan is your baby. It's all you. All I did was help you iron out some details. You've got ideas and backups for ideas in your head that I could never dream of. No one can handle this mission the way you can.

"I used to want to command so badly I could taste it," he continued matter-of-factly. "But I'm no you. I could never pull off half the wins you have. Damn, Keith, you're the best of us even on your worst day."

Keith was moved and overwhelmed by Lance's words. He'd had no idea that Lance had felt that way about him. All their fights over tactical decisions and mission details... No one else challenged him the way Lance did. To find out that Lance actually _admired_ his leadership...

"Lance... I..."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," Lance added. "I'll be right there to give you the kick in the pants you need. Literally. You need to lead this. For Allura and for yourself."

"Lance..."

"I agree with Lance," Sven spoke up, surprising him. "I think you're making a mistake by stepping down. I will support you in whatever you decide, but I can tell you right now that you are underestimating your ability to stay detached. I've seen you in action, Keith. I know how you perform under pressure and you've never once let it get to you. And as Lance said, no one knows this plan the way you do. You're the best choice to lead."

Keith was unsure how to respond. His own former commanding officer was telling him he shouldn't step down. But he _had_ to. Neither Sven nor Lance seemed to understand how close to losing control he was. (He was clearly better at hiding his personal distress than he was his romantic feelings.) Lance could joke all he wanted about kicking him in the pants, but if he truly did break down as he feared he would...

"I don't trust myself to be able to maintain the necessary concentration for leading the mission," he finally said. "As it appears you all already know, my..._love_ for Allura is making it very hard for me to do anything but worry about her. I'm afraid I'll be endangering your lives if-"

"We can think for ourselves, you know," Lance cut him off. "We don't need you to tell us every little thing."

"We trust you with our lives," Hunk put in. "You're an amazing leader. We'll follow you anywhere. And this is for Allura. No one else should lead this."

"Yeah, and just think, it'll make a great story for the kids!" Lance just had to add and Keith mentally rolled his eyes.

"Face it, Commander," Pidge declared. "You're outnumbered."

Keith felt completely overwhelmed. Every single person in this room knew that he was in love with Allura. They knew it and accepted it.

But none of them seemed to realize how badly he was being affected by her capture. He was unfit to be in command.

How could he make them see?

"So what's it going to be?" Lance prompted. "Are you going to wimp out on us or are you going to do what you do best?"

"You haven't given me much of a choice," Keith sighed, deciding that there was no point continuing this losing battle. If they wanted him to lead, he'd lead. But if his worst fear came true... "I'll stay in command."

Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all cheered.

"All right, now that that's settled, you're all dismissed," Keith said. "We'll regroup in Control to start practice in two hours."

There was a mixed chorus of "yes, sir" and "you're the boss" as the majority of the group rose to their feet. Keith remained seated, knowing he was about to be cornered by Lance and Sven.

Keith saw Sven whisper something to Romelle, who nodded before moving towards Coran, who seemed to be waiting for her by the door. The two of them left together.

Pidge and Hunk lingered for a moment and Keith wondered if they were waiting to speak with him. But before they had a chance to make a move, Lance and Sven, as he had expected, rounded the table towards him.

_Here it comes,_ he sighed, standing up to meet them. _Let's get this over with._

"I was starting to get worried there for a second," Lance told him in a cheerful voice as they reached him. "I'm glad we were able to talk some sense into you. What made you come to the boneheaded conclusion that you shouldn't command this mission anyway?"

Keith folded his arms. "Let me get this straight. You've spent the past few days constantly telling me I needed to pull myself together so I wouldn't get myself killed. Now that I've come to the conclusion that I don't think I can do that, you're not letting me step back. How does that make any sense?"

"It's called giving you something to do other than feel sorry for yourself," Lance informed him. "Besides, you're too much of a control freak to let anyone else lead anyway, especially me. We'd spend the whole time arguing over my decisions and you'd end up taking the command back.

"As for the whole getting yourself killed thing, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it, but like Sven said, you're pretty good at remaining detached. As long as you can keep yourself together until we're back on the ship with Allura, you'll be fine and I won't have to hit you over the head to stop you from doing anything stupid."

"But that's the whole problem," Keith argued. "I don't know if I can do that. I'm barely keeping it together now. When I see Allura and what's been done to her..."

There was no longer any need for secrecy. The truth was out and it apparently had been for quite some time. He didn't have to hide his true feelings anymore.

"I'm worried about how I'm going to react."

"You will do what you always do when the princess is in danger," Sven matter-of-factly stated. "You'll protect her."

"But are you willing to bet your lives on it?"

"Yes," both men answered at the same time.

For a moment, a silence fell over the three of them.

"You realize that if we fail this mission that it's the end of everything," he finally spoke again. "It'll be the end of Voltron, of Arus. _Everything._ There'll be no going back."

He didn't have to mention Allura's fate if they failed. Everyone in the room knew what her future would be like as Lotor's queen.

"Then we can't fail, now can we?" Lance quipped. "And when have we ever? We always win.

"We're going to get her back, Keith," he went on, his voice again serious. "We're not going to fail."

"I hope to god you're right," Keith said, not wanting to talk about this anymore. He just wanted to go someplace where he could be alone so he could let out his bottled up emotions.

"Lance, why don't you help Sven and Romelle get settled before its time to take the Lions out?" he suggested, changing the subject as a way of indicating that the conversation was over. "I'm sure they're both tired after their long flight and this meeting."

"That's a good idea," Sven answered, thankfully picking up on his cue. "I'd like to rest up a little before we go out and I'm sure Romelle would too. It's been a long morning."

"Sure thing," Lance agreed. "We'll talk more later," he pointedly told Keith.

"I'm sure we will."

"Let's go," Lance told Sven.

"Keith," Sven nodded at him.

Keith nodded back and Sven and Lance walked away.

When they had left the conference room, Keith dropped back into his chair and leaned his head back against the headrest, his eyes closed.

"Allura..." he whispered. "We're coming for you, my love.

"Please don't let me fail you again."

((()))

Allura obediently kept her eyes open while Lotor again finished taking his pleasure from her body. (He had repeatedly made it clear to her that she was to maintain eye contact with him whenever possible during intercourse. He liked it when she was watching him.) When he was done, he pulled out and once again drew her into a possessive embrace from behind.

She closed her eyes in relief that yet another torturous session was over. It was the third time he'd taken her since coming into her bed earlier that evening and she knew that it would not be the last. He'd done the same thing to her last night and the night before that one.

Ever since her failed escape attempt, Lotor had begun spending the entire night with her in her bed. (She knew it wasn't to keep her from trying again. Her broken legs had effectively put an end to that.) He would show up in her quarters while Neelyn was readying her for bed. (He didn't let Neelyn put her in a nightgown anymore. He wanted her body fully accessible to him at all times.) He would wait until she was finished and then he'd dismiss all of the slaves. Once they were alone, he'd immediately take her. When he had satisfied himself, he would go to sleep for a little while. Then he'd wake up and get on top of her all over again. The pattern would repeat again and again until the morning, when Neelyn came to get her up.

She prayed he'd succeed in impregnating her soon so this endless torture would stop.

It was hard to believe that she'd only been on Doom for three days. To her, it had felt like three decades.

And with death no longer an option for escape, a pregnancy would be her only reprieve.

Lotor kissed the back of her neck and he ran one of his hands up and down the front of her body.

"As soon as you learn to love me, my princess, this pain will end," he softly spoke into her ear. "I wish you could see how happy we'll be together. You'll rule the universe with me. You'll want for nothing."

_I want my freedom,_ she silently answered, not wanting to provoke him. _I want to be with my friends and loved ones again. I want Keith._

She had stopped fighting him after he had had her legs broken. She hadn't seen the point of trying anymore. Resistance would only lead to punishment and punishment meant more unimaginable pain. She could barely handle the constant pain she had now. Why would she willingly provoke him into inflicting more? It was best to just let him use her body as he pleased.

"We can be married as soon as my father returns," Lotor continued, still stroking her skin. He kissed her shoulder. "It shouldn't be much longer now. He doesn't like to be away from here for too long. He's afraid of someone trying to steal his throne."

_Like you?_ she wanted to ask but wisely did not.

"I'll also have a physician sent here to examine you soon," he went on. "I think you've received enough of a punishment to have learned your lesson. You certainly won't be trying to escape again, will you, my love? I'll inform your servants in the morning to provide you with something for your pain.

"And," he added, bringing his hand to a standstill on her belly, "perhaps we'll receive the good news that you're already carrying my heir."

_Oh, please,_ she thought wistfully. Being pregnant would mean he'd stop taking her so often. It would no longer be necessary.

She tried not to think too much about a child yet. She still didn't know if she'd be allowed to take any part in its life other than carrying and giving birth to it. Drules, although their physiology was close, were nothing like humans. For all of Lotor's talk of love, he didn't know the first thing about it. Any child he produced with her would be seen as a tool and nothing more. He most likely wouldn't want to let her taint his heir with her weak human emotions.

He kissed her neck again. "Go back to sleep now, my love. You need to get as much rest as you can so you can keep up your strength."

He then pulled her tighter against him and she knew it would only take moments before he was sleeping again.

But she would remain awake as she had all night. As she did every night while he was with her.

She couldn't risk saying the one name in her sleep that would set him off.

Ever since Neelyn had told her that she called out Keith's name while asleep, she feared it happening while Lotor was with her. He wanted to kill her love badly enough as it was. If he were to hear her longingly speak his name while she was dreaming...

She wondered if Keith and the others had realized that she was missing yet. It had now been four days since she left for the festival and she was supposed to have been back yesterday. Were they worried that she was late or did they think she had just decided to stay an extra day? (Keith believed she was being protected by Lance...) And if they did think she had chosen to stay one more day, how much longer would it be before they realized something was wrong?

She knew Keith would be the first one to know that something wasn't right. Lance may have allowed her an extra day at the festival, but not two. He was..._had been_ (it still hurt so much to know that he was gone)...rebellious at times, but not irresponsible. And when Keith and the others went searching for them, how long would it be before they discovered poor Stayden's farm?

And the fate of all who had lived there.

And Lance...

Her heart clenched again at the thought of her lost friend.

And it ached terribly for Keith because Lance had been his best friend.

She prayed to all the gods that Keith would not be the one to find him.

But she knew nothing would be worse for him than the moment when he realized where she was.

And that it was too late to save her.

_I'm so sorry, Keith. I wish I could have told you how much I love you. I'll never stop loving you as long as I live._

Tears filled her eyes at the thought of what her life had become.

She just wished she could die.

If only she could.

Lotor began to softly snore behind her and his hold on her body slightly loosened, but she did not dare move. She didn't want to risk waking him up after he'd just gone back to sleep. She needed time for the soreness to subside before he forced himself inside her again.

She opened her eyes and stared off into the darkness hoping that it would be a long time before he awakened once more.

She prayed that morning would come soon.

((()))

Keith was thoroughly impressed as he observed Sven lead Pidge and Hunk through the training exercise. Despite having been away for over a year and a half, Sven's piloting skills remained flawless. He and Lance had always been the strongest pilots on the team and Sven's talent for navigation was second to none. It was like he had never left.

But what impressed Keith even more was just how accurately Sven was able to recreate his command style. (Sven tended to be more aggressive and action-oriented in his leadership while Keith was more cautious in how he approached a situation. Sven was also more formal in terms of how he had the team address him and each other while Keith maintained a friendlier and more familiar atmosphere.) He'd be very surprised if Lotor figured out that he wasn't the one flying Black.

"Excellent work, team," Sven praised the other two pilots as the three Lions hovered together. "That's enough for now. You can head back to the castle."

Hunk and Pidge happily acknowledged the dismissal and Sven glanced behind him.

"How did I do?" he asked as the other two Lions flew away.

"Amazing," Keith honestly told him. "It's like you've never been away. You're a natural."

Although he knew it would never happen, he would gladly welcome Sven back onto the team if he ever decided to return to Arus. (It would be the perfect excuse to get Allura to quit piloting Blue. He knew it was terribly selfish of him, but he couldn't help how he felt. He loved her so much and it killed him every time she got hurt. Every injury she'd ever received while flying her Lion had become a scar on his heart. All he wanted to do was keep her safe. Not that he'd ever tell her outright...) But Sven had found his place on Pollux now.

With Romelle.

"It feels good to be flying again," Sven admitted. "Romelle and I mostly lead ground operations on Doom. I've missed being in a cockpit." He turned around to look at Keith. "I haven't told anyone at the Garrison yet, but I won't be returning to Earth after the war with Doom is over. I'll be moving to Pollux permanently."

It was an unsurprising announcement. Romelle and Pollux had become Sven's future the moment he had met her in the caves on Doom. He'd never been truly happy on Earth. (Even his longtime relationship with Katrina had not been completely fulfilling for him.) He'd been filled with insecurities that he'd tried to hide from everyone, including his closest friends. (He and Keith were somewhat alike in that they tried to put up a stoic front for those around them, but Sven had not become as skilled as Keith had in burying his emotions. He relied on other tools to hide behind, such as the pills he'd taken prior to losing his command.) Not even coming to Arus had been able to cure him of his obsessive feelings of failure.

Only Romelle had been able to do that.

"I won't pretend to be surprised because I'm not," Keith told him. "Pollux is where you belong now. Anyone who sees you with Romelle knows it."

And unlike Allura, Romelle was not the heir to her planet's throne. Her future was not predetermined and she could give her heart to whomever she wanted without consequence.

And there was no question that Sven was the one she wanted. (Keith couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy. Unlike him, Sven was getting his happily ever after with the woman he loved.)

Sven turned back around in his chair so he was facing front again. "Romelle and I... It's not like that between us. Not yet anyway," he said as he set the Lion into motion. "Truthfully, we've never said anything to each other, but the feelings are definitely there on both of our parts. But with all of our constant traveling back and forth between Doom and Pollux, it's the wrong time to start a relationship. We'll have to see where we are after the war is finally over.

"But enough about me," Sven changed the subject and Keith noticed the autopilot light activate on his control panel. Sven turned to face him again, his arms folded. "I want to hear everything that's going on between you and Allura."

Keith groaned. Apparently Lance had been running his mouth. How many times was he going to have to repeat himself? He and Allura could never be. End of story.

"I'm sure Lance told you everything," Keith waved him off. He really didn't want to have to go over this again, especially not when they were so close to being ready to launch the rescue mission. His focus needed to be on getting her back, not on why she could never be his. "There's nothing else to tell."

"Maybe, but I still want to hear it from you," Sven countered. "Explain to me why you won't tell her you love her."

He sighed, knowing that he was effectively trapped. (Sven wouldn't bring him back to the castle until they'd talked.) "I don't know how things are on Pollux, but Arus has strict laws regarding all aspects of their monarchy, especially those related to ascending the throne," he told him, resigned to once again going over all the reasons why Allura was off-limits to him. "Allura cannot become queen until she marries and she can only marry a prince. And since she is the sole surviving member of the royal family, she _has_ to become queen. There's no one else. And in order to become queen... You see where I'm going with this?"

He hoped he'd have better luck getting Sven to see reason than he'd had with Lance. Sven had always been the more reasonable of the two though both were very hard-headed.

"I do," Sven told him, "but from what I understand from Lance, Allura has no interest in marrying anyone but you. She's in love with you and would never consider anyone else."

_And that's why I never wanted her knowing how I feel._

If Allura didn't know that he loved her, then there'd never be the possibility of her approaching him with her feelings and he'd never have to worry about having to push her away. Lance had done her a terrible disservice when he'd told her that Keith loved her. She had been better off not knowing.

Aloud, Keith informed him, "I have every confidence that she'll ultimately make the right decision for her planet and her people. Don't forget that Allura's still very young. Yes, she's in love with me and god knows how much I love her, but I think deep down she knows that she's obligated to fulfill her duty to her people. She knows they have to come first. Despite what she tells herself now, she'd never forgive herself if she let them down. She'll do the right thing in the end She'll marry a prince and become queen. I'll make sure of it."

He meant every word. As much as he'd love to have Allura all to himself, he'd known from the moment that they'd met that she belonged solely to Arus. To keep her from her destiny would destroy her world.

"I hate to bring this up because it's not a pleasant subject, but you do realize that if Lotor has..._touched_ Allura then finding a prince who's willing to marry her is going to be very difficult," Sven quietly pointed out. "And given how long she's been his prisoner, it's a very real possibility."

Keith was more surprised by Sven's lack of knowledge (so Lance hadn't run his mouth about _everything_) than by what he had actually said. (Any prince that would reject someone as wonderful and amazing as Allura over the lack of her virginity didn't deserve her. He trusted that Coran and Nanny would choose someone worthy of her.)

"I know" was all he said aloud, pushing back the pain that flared up at the mention of Allura's ordeal. (He could not lose control of his emotions. He had to maintain a clear head if he was to succeed in getting his point across to Sven.)

_Allura..._

He assumed Lance had kept what he knew of Lotor's plan from Sven to keep Romelle from learning about it before she needed to. (They'd _all_ find out once Allura was safely back on Arus...) Given her own horrific experience at Lotor's hands, there was no reason to upset her with the knowledge that her beloved and innocent cousin was going through the same thing. It was best to keep her in the dark as long as possible.

"And if he has violated her, which he most likely has, she's going to need all the love and support she can get to recover," Sven continued matter-of-factly. "From you more than anyone."

"And she'll have it," Keith swore. (If it were possible, he'd keep anyone from ever hurting her again. He would die to protect her.) "But just not in the way that you're thinking. I won't do that do her, Sven. I can't break her heart that way."

"How will loving her break her heart?" Sven questioned. "That doesn't make any sense, Keith."

Sven was proving to be as stubborn as Lance about this issue. What was it going to take to get either of them to realize that it was impossible for him and Allura to be anything more than they already were?

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Lance," Keith said. "If Allura and I ever were to start a relationship, it would have to end when the time came for her to marry. Her future as queen depends on it. If she doesn't marry a prince, she'll never take the throne. But you know as well as I do that she'd never willingly give me up. I'd have to push her away and that would mean hurting her. Badly. And I couldn't do that to her. Not because she'd never forgive me, which she never would, but because of the pain I would cause her. So isn't it better for both of us if we're never put into that position?"

He didn't think he could make himself any clearer. It was _because_ of how much he loved and cared for Allura that he was protecting her from the pain that a relationship between them would inevitably lead to.

A silence fell over the cockpit and Keith knew he'd won the argument.

"Will you stay on Arus after she marries?" Sven finally asked after several moments.

"Arus is my home now," Keith simply answered. "Like Pollux has become for you. There's nothing for me back on Earth."

And it was true. His family had turned their back on him years ago. As far as he was concerned, they were no longer his relatives. His real family was here on Arus.

_Allura_ was on Arus...

It was then that he realized that he hadn't once during the course of the entire conversation allowed himself to think that the mission would fail and Allura wouldn't come home.

_You _are _coming home to me,_ he silently asserted. _You _have _to._

He couldn't allow himself to believe otherwise.

"And you'll be all right seeing her with another man?" Sven pressed. "With children from him?"

_Déj__à__ vu,_ Keith silently sighed. This was now almost the exact same conversation he'd had with Lance days ago in the infirmary.

"Seeing her happy will make me happy," he truthfully assured him. "And I have no doubt that she will be. Coran and Nanny wouldn't let her marry anyone who would hurt her. She's like a daughter to them. If she won't choose someone herself, they'll choose wisely for her. I trust them to find a deserving prince."

"Who she deserves is you," Sven countered. "No one can ever love her as much as you already do."

"Believe me, there's nothing I wish more than to marry her and have a family with her," Keith confessed. "But unless I magically become a prince sometime in the near future, it's never going to happen. I accepted that a long time ago. I wish you and Lance would too."

"We just want to see the two of you happy," Sven told him.

"And I appreciate that," Keith warmly let him know. Both Sven and Lance meant well, but they both needed to accept the reality of the situation. Allura was a princess with a destiny while Keith was simply a space explorer and pilot. In other words, a commoner. And princesses could only marry commoners if they gave up everything.

And Keith would die before he let her do that.

Arus _needed_ Allura as its queen. No one could rule it as she could. It was a role she was born to play.

And Keith wouldn't let anything, not even himself, keep her from her destiny.

Sven gave a defeated sigh. "I told Lance I'd give it a try and I did. You can't say I didn't."

"You're a good friend," Keith told him. "Lance too. But this is one situation no one can help me with."

"I wish things were different for you."

"I do too," Keith agreed. "But they're not and that's just the way it is. I've come to accept it and I hope that you and Lance will too.

"Now, I suggest you take Black off of autopilot and fly us back to the castle before the others start wondering what's taking us so long," he changed the subject, putting an end to the pointless and circular conversation. "Remember, we have another strategy meeting in about an hour and I don't want to be late."

"Another one?" Sven mock-complained as he turned back around to face the controls. (Keith knew he was trying to lighten the mood after their heavy conversation.) "I didn't think there was anything left to strategize about."

"I think you've been away from command too long," Keith shot back, relieved to see the autopilot light turn off. "You can never have too many strategy sessions. Especially when your mission takes you into enemy territory."

"Whatever you say, Commander," Sven replied and Keith couldn't help but smile despite everything.

As annoying as they were, Lance and Sven's interrogations about his feelings for Allura touched him deeply. He knew that they meant well. They'd been with him for a long time and had seen him at both his best and his worst. They'd both been with him during his disastrous relationship with Whitney. They'd seen how her betrayal had nearly destroyed him. It was why they so badly wanted to see him happy with Allura.

But he could never be with Allura. It was an impossible dream. He knew and accepted it. He wished they would too.

But right now the more important thing was getting her back.

And he _would_ get her back.

Failure was not an option.

((()))

Lotor paused just outside of the communications chamber so he could erase all traces of his extremely good mood from his features. (There was no describing the feelings of pure pleasure he experienced while making love to his Allura. Being inside of her was nothing short of perfection. It was as if she had been created for him alone. If only she would love him in return...) It wouldn't do for Father to know of his success before he was ready to tell him. He couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on his face when he learned that Allura was at last his. (It was a shame that he didn't have more good news to share, but Allura would be pregnant with his child soon enough. They would just have to continue trying.)

Confident that his expression was neutral, he entered the room.

And to his dismay, he found Haggar already inside and speaking with his father.

Her cat was curled up at her feet, which indicated to him that she had been speaking to Zarkon for some time.

If the old witch had ruined his surprise...

"Here is Lotor now, Sire," she spoke, looking directly at him and giving him one of her chilling smiles. "He will tell you of his recent activities himself."

His momentary anger immediately faded. The hag had obviously not yet betrayed him. She was still his ally for the time being. (He really had to know what Father had done for her to remain angry at him for this long.) Which meant that he had to do whatever it took to make sure she stayed there until he no longer needed her. And he knew that the best way to accomplish that was to give her the rightful credit for Allura's capture. (He had been planning on convincing his father that it had been a shared effort as Zarkon would have never believed he had done it on his own, but he couldn't risk alienating Haggar. He needed to keep her happy until he was finally seated on the throne.)

Zarkon turned his attention to Lotor, his face made huge by the wall-sized viewscreen. "So, my son, the old witch assures me that you have been making yourself useful. Does that mean you've finally realized that you've been wasting your time longing for the princess of Arus?"

Lotor allowed himself a small smile. This was a moment that would become a treasured memory. "Oh, I've been quite busy, Father. I've been hard at work ensuring Arus' future as part of your empire."

He would have to be very careful to make it sound as if everything he had accomplished was ultimately for his father's benefit. Father knew he was ambitious and eager for power. It was imperative that he never suspected that it was _his_ power he had his eye on.

Not until it was too late to stop him.

"Considering that I've forbidden all attacks on that pathetic planet for the time being, I'm curious to hear how you plan to accomplish this," Zarkon replied.

"It's quite simple," he told his father, struggling not to gloat. "All I need to do is wed my fiancée and produce an heir. After I have done those two tasks, Arus will be yours."

"Fiancée...? Do you mean to tell me that you've finally succeeded in taking the princess?" Father wanted to know, sounding incredulous.

Lotor's smile grew. "In every way possible. Allura has been here in the castle for several days now. I would like to marry her as soon as you return. Everything has been prepared for the ceremony and only awaits your arrival. In the meantime, I have been working on the one thing that will unquestionably unite Arus and Doom. It is only a matter of time before Allura is carrying my child."

Zarkon actually looked impressed and Lotor felt a swell of pride. Father was not easily impressed. Perhaps this would _finally_ convince him that he wasn't the failure he thought he was.

A fact he would be all too happy to rub in his face before he finally killed him.

"So, who helped you, my son?" Father questioned and Lotor's pride instantly evaporated. "You're not capable of doing something this competent on your own." He shifted his gaze to the witch, who had picked up her cat and was silently petting him.

"Let me guess, Haggar. It was you."

"I merely saw an opportunity and took it," the hag easily lied.

_Ha!_ Lotor mentally snorted at the falsehood. He knew for a fact that Haggar had manipulated every single event that led to Allura's capture. He suspected she was downplaying her role in her capture as part of her plot to ingratiate herself with him even further. (He would have to "thank" her for her support later. He needed to keep her believing that she had his eternal gratitude for all that she was doing for him.)

"Now Lotor will be able to concentrate on assisting you in running your empire," Haggar smoothly continued. "He no longer has any reason to focus all of his efforts on Arus. Allura belongs to him now and Arus with her. But, more importantly, Voltron is no longer a threat."

Now it was Lotor's turn to be impressed. The old witch had an undeniable way with words. She had given his father no reason to suspect that her loyalties had changed and then she had told him the one thing he'd been longing to hear for years: that Voltron had been defeated. She was a brilliant manipulator, he would give her that.

Which meant that he'd have to be extra-vigilant in being aware that she would try to do the same thing to him.

He truly looked forward to the day that he wouldn't need her help anymore and he could finally dispose of her.

"I've heard that before," Zarkon declared, apparently not believing her about Voltron. "What makes you think that you've destroyed that giant robot for good this time, old witch?"

"Destruction was not necessary," Haggar informed him. "Not only is Princess Allura no longer available to pilot her Lion, but I myself saw to the death of one of the space explorers. The Voltron Force is permanently down two pilots and they don't even know it yet. By the time they discover the truth, Arus will legally be a part of your empire and their fate will be in your hands. As soon as Allura is Lotor's wife, the planet and Voltron belong to you."

The king snorted. "That's only if they honor the marriage between the princess and my son, old witch."

Haggar smiled. "Honor is one of the Voltron Force's main weaknesses. They will not contest a legal union between our two worlds. Especially if there is a child involved."

The witch's plan was so brilliant in its simplicity and it had already proven itself utterly effective in bringing him Allura. He didn't see how it could fail. By the time her pathetic friends arrived to rescue her, she would either be married, pregnant, or both. (Lotor would prefer that it was both, but he knew that nature could not be rushed no matter how impatient he was personally. It was only a matter of time before she was carrying his child.) He doubted they could figure out what had happened to her in a few days. He wondered if they even realized she was missing yet. (Humans were not the brightest of species.)

"Ah," Zarkon said and Lotor was pleased to detect satisfaction in his father's voice. "But can you guarantee that there will be one by the time the wedding takes place?"

"Lotor is doing all that he can to ensure that there will be," Haggar let him know, again looking directly at the prince. "He has been spending all of his free time working on it."

This time, Father laughed out loud. "And you haven't tired of her yet, my son? Perhaps I have underestimated your feelings for her."

Lotor clenched his fists at the insult towards his beloved. How could Father even _think_ he'd ever tire of the woman he loved? She wasn't some slave girl who had no purpose other than being there when he needed to relieve his needs. Allura was to be his _queen._

By every dark god in the universe, he swore he would one day make everyone who had ever insulted his beautiful queen pay. Their suffering would be indescribable.

"She is the love of my life," Lotor asserted, making a mental note that his father _would_ accept this truth before he died.

"When will you be returning to Doom, Your Highness?" Haggar interjected, changing the subject. (Did she perhaps sense his anger at his father? He quickly purged the feelings from his body.) "Have you completed your business with the governors?"

Zarkon made a disgusted sound. "Imbeciles, every last one of them. It's no wonder rebellion is running rampant on the worlds they're in charge of. They don't have the brains to do their jobs. They're all lucky I let them keep both their positions and their lives. I'll be returning as planned, two days from now. It will good to be home."

"It will be good to have you back, Father," Lotor lied. There was one reason and one reason only he wanted his father back on Doom. And after he had performed the marriage ceremony, he wouldn't have any use for him until it was time to remove him from the throne. He would bide his time and play the role of obedient son.

"We look forward to your arrival," Haggar said with a small nod of her head.

"I will see the both of you in two days," Zarkon stated and Lotor knew the conversation had reached it's end. "Zarkon out."

The screen went blank.

"Congratulations, my prince," Haggar spoke, turning to him, her cat still in her arms. "Your father is exactly where you want him to be, unsuspecting and complacent. It will not be long now until you can take your rightful place as king."

"And I have you to thank for it," Lotor replied, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "Our alliance is turning out to be a fruitful one."

He wondered how much of what he said she actually believed. This was not a true alliance. They were simply two people using each other to get what they each wanted. And Haggar was not stupid enough to think otherwise.

"And it will continue to be so as long as you do not betray me," the witch warned. "The throne is nearly yours. Continue to follow my lead and you will have it sooner than you ever dreamed."

"As long as you don't give me a reason to, old witch," Lotor shot back. "We have more to gain by remaining allies than becoming adversaries."

Unlike Haggar, he had numerous allies he could turn to if this partnership failed. The witch was all alone except for her stupid cat. All it would take would be one word from him to Father and she would be banished from Doom or executed, whichever one the king thought best.

"Agreed," Haggar nodded. "Now, isn't it time for you to return to you fiancée's side?"

Lotor knew a dismissal when he heard one. "I will soon enough. First I have to check on the wedding preparations. I want to make sure they will be perfect by the time Father arrives.

"After all, a lot can happen in two days."

((()))

"Would you like me to style your hair for you?" Neelyn offered as she sat behind Allura on the bed, gently brushing her hair.

Without opening her eyes, Allura replied in her whispery voice, "No, thank you. Just please keep...brushing. It feels...so good."

It still hurt her to speak, but thanks to the pain medication now coursing through her body, it was not as bad as it had been for days.

A full day after he had promised, Lotor had finally sent a physician that morning to examine her. (Of course, Lotor had forbidden the physician to put casts on her two broken legs. Apparently, they would cause _him_ discomfort when he was on top of her. Nor could her right arm be placed in a sling to immobilize her broken shoulder. Like the legs casts, it would be a hindrance to _his_ enjoyment during intercourse. The physician had tried to warn him of the long-term effects of improper treatment of her injuries, but he had not cared. What did it matter to him if she could walk properly or not? As long as he could have sex with her and she could give him children, he'd be happy.) All of her cuts and bruises had been scrutinized and determined to be minor. Thanks to Neelyn's vigilance, none of them had become infected.

But the best part of the examination had been the administering of the pills for her pain. The moment the medication had taken effect had been miraculous. It had been pure bliss to suddenly feel mostly normal again. She had almost forgotten what it was like not to hurt everywhere.

Unfortunately, the initial relief had been short-lived. Lotor had returned to her bed almost immediately after the physician had left and in a matter of moments, new pains had come to replace the old ones.

But as soon as he had satisfied himself and departed once more, she had taken a second dosage, which happily had yet to completely wear off. (She knew she would have to be careful and not take too many in a single day, but it was so _wonderful_ to not hurt for even just a little while.) She hoped he would not return until the evening, though deep down she knew she wouldn't be that lucky. (As he kept reminding her, he wanted her pregnant as soon as possible.) So she was taking advantage of his absence and allowing herself to experience something pleasurable without the constant background of excruciating pain. And having her hair brushed for her was one of her favorite pleasures. (She always loved it when Nanny brushed her hair, which wasn't as often as she would have liked.)

"Of course, sweet one," Neelyn said as she continued to expertly move the brush through her hair. "I won't stop until you ask me to. You just relax and enjoy."

"Thank you."

And then she gave a big yawn.

The pain medication had one undesirable side-effect: it made her extremely drowsy. She had already gotten into the habit of sleeping most of the day in order to enable herself to stay awake all night long. (She knew what would happen if Lotor heard her say Keith's name in her sleep...) She worried that if she took another dosage close to the time that Lotor came to bed that she wouldn't be able to keep herself from falling asleep. (It wasn't that she wasn't able to fight the drowsiness. During the day, with constant stimulation, she had been able to overcome it. But at night, in the dark, laying in bed... It was a very different situation.) And if that happened...

_I can't do it,_ she firmly decided. _It's not worth the risk. I have to protect Keith. He's more important than anything. I've lived with the pain this long. What difference will it make?_

"Getting tired?" Neelyn asked her.

"A little," Allura answered, her eyes still closed. She yawned a second time. "But I don't want you to...stop...just yet. I'm...enjoying this. Please continue."

"I hope you're not too tired to see me, my princess."

Allura's eyes instantly snapped open to see Lotor standing in front of the bed.

She felt Neelyn immediately stop brushing her hair and she knew without looking that the woman had bowed her head.

"Leave us," he ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Neelyn immediately accepted.

Allura felt her place a gentle hand on her arm before she heard and felt her get out of the bed.

"I have good news, my love," Lotor said as soon as Neelyn had left the area. "My father will be returning in two days. The wedding will take place immediately upon his arrival."

Allura felt nauseated at the pronouncement. Being married to Lotor would change everything. She would no longer just be a prisoner. She would be his _wife._

His _property._

And if she thought her life was horrible now, it would be nothing compared to what she would be forced to endure as his wife. Her presence on Doom was currently being kept quiet to prevent her friends from finding out where she was. (Because as long as they didn't know, they couldn't come to save her. And that was _exactly_ what Lotor and Haggar were counting on.) After they were married, it wouldn't matter. There'd be nothing anyone could do about it. She would belong to Lotor and her freedom would be just a memory. And knowing him, he would flaunt their marriage to everyone he could.

Especially to her friends.

To _Keith._

Her heart ached at the thought of what the announcement would do to him. Now that she knew he loved her as much as she loved him...

It would kill him.

_I'm so sorry, Keith._

"It's a shame you won't be able to stand beside me during the ceremony," Lotor casually continued as he began to unbuckle his belt. (Allura's already aching heart sank at the knowledge that her pain was about to return full-force despite the lingering effects of the medication. Why couldn't she just get pregnant already?) "But you only have yourself to blame for that. You tried to leave me, my love, and you had to be punished. It's as simple as that." He pulled the belt from around his body and dropped it to the floor. "But that doesn't mean you won't be able to enjoy our wedding day. The ceremony will be more beautiful than anything you can possibly imagine, my princess. But, of course, it will pale in comparison to you, my Allura. You are the epitome of beauty. No one comes close to you, my love.

"Lay down," he commanded and Allura instantly complied, just wanting this to be over with.

_I'll have to take another dosage after he leaves,_ she thought as she tried to ignore the sound of him removing the rest of his clothes. She stared at the ceiling to avoid having to see his body. _The last of the day. I swear._

She felt the mattress give under his weight as he climbed into the bed with her. "I will have your attendants bring your dress to you later for a fitting," he picked up the conversation as if he hadn't stopped speaking. He began to untie her robe. "I think you will agree that it is absolutely stunning. A dress fit for a queen."

The robe undone, he pulled it from her body and then he stretched out beside her.

"You're so beautiful," Lotor murmured as he ran his hand down the length of her body. When he reached her thighs, he forced his hand between them and pushed a finger inside of her, causing her to involuntarily cry out.

"Oh, Allura," he sighed as he did every time he found out that she wasn't aroused by him. (He was truly delusional if he thought it would ever change.) "I wish you would stop fighting the inevitable, my love. We are going to be together for the rest of our lives, my princess. You will be much happier if you would just allow yourself to love me."

_Never!_ she silently defied him. _I hate you, you monster!_

Lotor removed the finger and then, with both of his hands and without any consideration for her injuries, he pushed her legs wide apart.

Again, Allura could not hold back the cry of pain as her broken legs were roughly moved over the bed.

"I love you so much," he said as he positioned himself between them. "You're so beautiful. And you belong to me.

"Forever."

Knowing from days of experience what was coming next, she braced herself as he forcefully drove himself into her.

She again cried out as the incredible pain that had become her constant companion since coming to Doom returned once more.

((()))

"I'm going to turn in now and try to get a few hours of rest," Keith announced as he stood up from his seat. The team plus Sven and Romelle had gathered in the rec room to discuss last minute mission preparations. "I suggest you all try to do the same. We all need to be at our best tomorrow. Allura's counting on it."

Although it was only late afternoon, Keith knew he had to force himself to get some kind of rest before they left for Doom. The agreed upon departure time was shortly after midnight to ensure an early morning arrival. (According to Sven, Castle Doom ran on a minimum staff from late evening to mid-morning. The earlier they got to Doom, the larger the window of time he and Lance would have to sneak in, find Allura, and sneak out. And since they only had a general idea of where she was being held... The attack on the slave yards would insure that no one was paying much attention to what was happening inside of the castle as well as buy them more time to find her.) With his mind constantly swirling with his thoughts and fears for Allura, he didn't see himself getting any actual sleep, but he was going to try anyway. With the team depending on him to lead them (a mistake he hoped none of them would come to regret), it was imperative that he be able to think clearly. Because if he couldn't...

"Good idea," Lance agreed, standing up himself. "I'll turn in now too." He grinned. "Big day tomorrow, you know," he added.

Before Keith could comment, loud cries of "Aunt Allura! Aunt Allura!" were heard outside the door before Larmina cheerfully burst into the room.

_Oh, no!_ he silently groaned as he realized that with everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten about Larmina's imminent return. (Had it already been an entire week that she and Nanny had been gone?) His every thought had been consumed by Allura. It had never crossed his mind that he'd have to tell her about her aunt's kidnapping.

But how did you tell something like that to an eleven-year-old girl without completely devastating her?

Especially when there was a chance that the rescue would not succeed...

"Aunt Allura, you'll never-"

Larmina's voice trailed off when she realized that Allura wasn't among those gathered in the room.

Completely unfazed by her absence (and why would she be? She had no reason to think that Allura was not in the castle), Larmina smiled brightly and said, "Hey, guys! Would you believe that the trip turned out not to be as horribly boring as I thought it was going to be? Some of it was actually pretty cool. The worse part was Nanny _always_ being on my case about something or other. Ugh! I so wanted to go ninja on her a few times, but I know Aunt Allura wouldn't have approved. But, anyway, I am so glad to be back home! There's no place like it!"

Keith could not bring himself to smile at Larmina's rapid-fire chatter like he normally did. The girl was in such a good mood. He hated that he was going to have to ruin it with such tragic news.

Finally, Larmina inevitably asked, "Where's Aunt Allura? I want to tell her _everything!_"

Keith exchanged a pained glance with Lance. The time had come to tell her the truth. It was going to be an unpleasant task.

"Larmina," he began and her smile instantly faded at his serious tone. "There's something-"

"There you are!"

Keith's eyes flew to the doorway just in time to see Nanny storm into the room, looking as annoyed with the world around her as ever. She marched right over to Larmina.

"Young lady, what have I told you about running through the halls?" she scolded her. "It's not proper for someone of your royal upbringing! You are a lady! There is no need for you to be rushing about like some commoner!" She sighed dramatically. "You're getting to be just as bad as Princess! What am I going to do with the two of you?

Nanny looked up from Larmina and her gaze locked on to Keith. "You!" she angrily ranted. "I hold you personally responsible for this unladylike behavior!" She stomped over to him and jammed a finger into his chest. "It's all your fault Princess is acting the way she does! Letting her fly that Lion when it's so dangerous! It's not proper! She needs to stay here in the castle where it's safe! You boys have been nothing but a terrible influence to both of my babies from the moment that you arrived!"

Keith stayed silent during the tirade. He knew from experience that it was best to just let Nanny get everything out of her system before responding. She'd calm down soon enough. And that was when he'd have to tell her about Allura.

He knew that she would take the news worse than Larmina.

"Hmm, I see that Princess is not here," Nanny commented as she took in the gathered group. "Did one of you hooligans say something to upset her? Has she gone and locked herself in her room again? The lot of you have made my poor baby cry enough times as it is! What did you do this time? And which one of you did it?" Her eyes scanned the room. "Your Highness!" she exclaimed as her gaze fell on Romelle. She was sitting next to Sven, his arm around her waist. Nanny moved towards her. "Why aren't you at your cousin's side? How could you abandon her in her time of need? I'm ashamed of you!"

"Nanny," Romelle started to respond to the accusation, but she stopped and looked at Keith for guidance on what she should say next.

He understood her reservations about revealing Allura's whereabouts. It really wasn't her place. The only one who truly had the right to say where Allura was was the person who had failed her in the first place.

_Him._

"Speak up, child," Nanny demanded before he could take over. "I want to know why you aren't comforting your poor cousin."

"Allura isn't here, Nanny," Keith finally spoke up. When Nanny whirled to stare at him, he continued, "She was kidnapped by Haggar nearly a week ago. She's been held on Doom ever since."

Larmina's face went white while Nanny's eyes widened with shock. "Wh-what did you say?"

"Haggar used a farmer to lure the princess out into the open," he explained, feeling sick as he recounted how badly he had let down the woman he loved. Just thinking about it brought his roiling emotions back to the surface. "She took his family hostage and forced him to help her. We had no reason to doubt his intentions," he lied, not wanting to make things worse by letting them know he alone could have prevented the tragedy from happening. "He told her a peaceful and isolated community was having a festival in her honor and we all believed him. Haggar choose a place where they don't use technology, so we had no communication with her after they left. Their carriage was ambushed on the road. We didn't find out about it until the next day."

Nanny began to wail. "The next day?! You're supposed to know where she is at all times! You're supposed to protect her! You failed my baby! How did you not know she was in danger? How? My baby! My poor princess!" She moved back to Keith and began to pound her fists against his chest. "Why weren't you with her? How could you let her go alone! How could you do such a thing? Princess! My baby! You failed her!"

With that, she broke down and just sobbed against him.

Keith simply put his arms around the grieving woman. He more than anyone knew exactly how she felt.

"But she wasn't alone," Lance finally spoke up and Nanny glanced up from where she had buried her face in Keith's chest to look at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Keith assigned me to guard her. I was with her the whole time. Haggar came out of nowhere and killed our driver. No one could have seen it coming. It was that quick. Like that." He snapped his fingers. "Once she had us, it was impossible to get away without outside help. We were powerless without anything to defend ourselves with.

"You should have seen how brave the princess was in the face of all that danger. You'd have been so proud of her."

"I'm always proud of my baby," Nanny tearfully insisted. "Even when she's doing something foolish."

"I'd still be with her, but Haggar decided two prisoners was one two many and tried to have me killed," he continued. "The only reason I'm still breathing is because the robot she told to shoot me was malfunctioning and didn't get off a kill shot. But if Keith hadn't found me when he did, I'd have died anyway."

"And it's because we found Lance that we learned what had happened to Allura as quickly as we did," Keith added. "We were told that the festival she was supposed to attend was going to last three days. If Lance had died and we hadn't found him when we did, there's no telling how long it would have been before we discovered the truth. We still may not have known."

"But why haven't you rescued her yet?" Larmina asked in a quiet voice.

Keith looked at the young girl, his heart aching for her. Her face was still pale, but true to her "tough girl" persona, there wasn't a single tear in her eyes. But he knew that she was hurting. (Just as _he_ was hurting.) Allura was the only family she had in the world. (He hoped she'd be able to let out her grief in private the way he had been doing.)

"That's our fault," Sven spoke up from where he was sitting with Romelle. "Keith thought it best to wait for Romelle and I to lend our assistance since we're so familiar with Castle Doom. We unfortunately could not get away from Pollux any sooner than we did."

"But they came and now we're ready to go get her back," Lance jumped back in. "In fact, we're leaving tonight. We should have her home safe and sound by, oh, I don't know, lunch time tomorrow. So make sure the kitchen prepares something good for us to celebrate with, okay?"

"Really?" Larmina asked hopefully and even Nanny's sobs subsided at the news.

She eased herself out of Keith's loose embrace and went to stand by Larmina.

Keith silently groaned at Lance's premature promise. Lance should know better than to get their hopes up like that. Because no mission, no matter how well planned, was ever guaranteed to succeed. There were always thousands of things that could go wrong. Thousand of contingencies that weren't planned for. A mission never ran as smoothly as it was supposed to. And if it did, that was a surefire sign that they were walking into a trap.

No one wanted this rescue to succeed more than he did, but he had to be realistic. They were sneaking into Castle Doom to find a single person in a huge area. There was a chance they wouldn't be able to find her. There was a chance that they'd be caught despite the distraction.

There was a chance they'd be too late and she was already married to Lotor...

He was about to open his mouth to try to explain this without upsetting Nanny and Larmina even more when the doors to the rec room opened once again and Coran rushed in.

Keith knew he had to have been aware of Nanny and Larmina's return from the moment they approached the castle. He had just been unable to reach them before they had gotten to the rec room.

"Oh, Coran!" Nanny cried and she ran over to him. "Our poor baby! It's so awful!"

"I know, Nanny, I know," he told her as she grabbed onto his jacket and began to sob all over again.

"There, there," Coran comforted her. "I have every confidence that the Voltron Force will get her back. You have nothing to worry about."

The pressure for them to succeed suddenly became too much for Keith to handle. Was he the only one who realized that there was a chance they'd fail? (He knew he couldn't be. It had been drilled into all of them by their instructors at the academy to never assume success before an operation was completed. Success was the only guarantee of success.) He felt the walls begin to close in on him. He needed to get out of there before he said or did something he'd regret.

"We'll meet in control at 2400," he reminded his team, barely keeping his emotions under control. "Get some rest before then. As I said before, we need to be at our best for this mission. I'll see you all then."

Having said all he was going to allow himself to say, he turned and walked away.

He was able to keep it together until he reached his quarters. Once the door slid closed behind him, he sank into the nearest chair and fell apart.

"Allura," he cried, his terror that they'd be unable to save her taking over once again.

It was a long time before he was able to get his emotions back under control.


End file.
